Return of the Empire
by JollyBritishChap
Summary: Sequel to 'The Princess and her Knight'. 2 years into Star and Marco's relationship, a new evil sweeps across Mewni threatening destruction and death to all. No kingdom is safe and noone can be sure of what this new force will do. Slight Starco and minor other ships but not the main focus. OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- New Threats

 **Unknown Time-Unknown Dimension**

He gazed upon the crushed entrance to the tower, now inacessable, the former kingdom's flag now laying in shreds on the ground before it clearly having been torn down during the assault on the city. It's design however was still clear to him, a red sun whoose rays stretched to the edge of its borders across a background as black as night itself.

He carefully picked up and dusted off the remnants of the flag and neatly folded it respectfully as best he could. Turning to the gentleman by his side he simply said "A reminder" in a solemn voice.

The man to his side was a tall stout figure whoose head was held high and sporting a twirled moustache across his upper lip. He was dressed head to toe in a formal looking military uniform. This consisted of a red, long sleeved, thick shirt with formal cuffs at the end of each arm with golden buttons for cufflinks. His chestpiece was a metal plate which sported decorative vines and patterns cut into the steel itself, upon his right sleeve was a hand stiched image of the flag the man had plucked from the ground only moments before and on his left sleeve was another hand stiched image of a golden crown with a pair of crossed batons surrounded by golden leaves underneath it. The trousers were black with a red stripe running down each side and the look was completed with a pair of black, well-polished boots.

"What is to be done your majesty?" He said as he watched the prince, now king it seems, carefully place the folded flag into the arms of young man also wearing a uniform, who promptly took it away. "Well I would've thought the plan would be obvious to a man of your stature general" The king said as he turned away from the ruined tower and faced the general, revealing the large scar which cut down his right eye, a war wound from the failed defence of his kingdom. "We will rebuild our former home, re-arm her inhabitants and then..." The prince's eyes glowed a light red as he spoke the final words. "We bring Mewni to it's knees"

 **Present Day-Kingdom of Mewni**

A blonde mass shot through the castle of Mewni, any guards it passed were momentarily stunned by the speed at which it travelled and weren't sure what to do once it had passed except to chuckle lightly tto themselves. It was quite clear to all she passed that Star Butterfly was excited by something this morning.

Ever since her relationship with Marco Diaz had blossomed she's been in a whole new light, depending on who you ask that was very litteral, most in the palace said she seemed to glow as radiant as her name implies these days. She was truly earning the nickname "Shooting Star".

Star's race through the castle came to a sudden stop outside of a room with two, rather surprised, guards who were barring the entrance of the room. The sign on the door simply read "Meeting room 1-In Use" She smiled and as she prepared to stroll in the guards suddenly stopped her just before the handle. She gave them both a look to which one started speaking."My apologies your highness but there is a meeting of the Magical High Comission in progress, I cannot allow you to enter"

The princess sighed and said in a rarther annoyed tone "My mum's orders?" to which the guard simply nodded. Star let out a fustrated groan and asked "Well what time will they be done, I didn't get to say good morning to Marco yet!" The guard took out a small notebook and flicked through a few pages before stopping on one and reading.

"Not until around 11:00 your highness, my sincere apologies" he said rarther officially before he slid the notebook back into his pocket. Star checked her watch, 9:20, before letting out another fustrated groan.

"Just what am I going to do for an hour!" she moaned.

"1 hour and 40 minutes your highness" said the other guard who didn't seem terribly bright. Star shot him a look which immediately shut him up as the other guard apologised for his companions rudeness.

"Well dear you could always come to watch the royal archives with me?" Star turned to see the source of the voice and saw Eclipsa standing in the doorway opposite munching, as per usual, on a snookers bar.

"Okay seriously, how do you not get fat?" Star said pointing to the half finished candy in Eclipsa's hand. Eclipsa shrugged and finished the rest of the snookers bar before throwing the wrapper into the room behind her and shutting the door.

Star sighed and said "Fiiine, I guess theres nothing better to do around here" she walked towards Eclipsa who cut a portal into the air using her dimensional scissors before the pair of them strolled through.

This was the first time Star had ever actually seen the royal archives and it was a sight to behold, thousands upon thousands of scrolls dictating the entire history of the royal family of Mewni. Not to mention the series of mechanical arms busily writing down dates, times and actions of the members of the current royal family onto long scrolls. Each hand seemed to be dedicated to the actions of a single member of the family, there was one for Star, one for River, one for Moon and so on. They weren't long in the room before Eclipsa finally spoke "You know if you wanted a way to see into that meeting without the comission knowing you should've just come here" she said smirking and waving to one of the mechanical hands.

Star, hesitantly said "But Marco isn't a member of the Butterfly family yet, so he doesn't have a scroll".

Eclipsa started giggling and then said with a playful smile on her face, "you do know your mother is in the same meeting dear?" She then walked over to Queen Moon's scroll "You could easily know what Marco is doing by reading the scroll of Queen Moon, although the word 'yet' in your explaination was adorable dear" she teased as Star's cheeks glowed lightly.

The two gathered round the scroll that was being written and saw the entries as they came in;

9:30AM-Queen Moon listens to Heckapoo's report regarding a series of an interdimensional traveller causing havoc to nightclubs and bars across 8 dimensions.

9:32 AM-Queen Moon hears Marco Diaz mention that it's just Ponyhead on one of her nights out as per usual.

"Oh Pony, what am I going to do with you" Star sighed, a large smile plastered on her face. Eclipsa just chuckled and said casually "I admire a girl who knows how to party, this Ponyhead sounds fun!"

Star chuckled in return and simply said "All Ponyhead knows is fun, well that and Korean dramas".

They then returned to the scroll which suddenly wrote something which stopped shocked the two slightly;

9:35AM-Queen Moon places the meeting on hold and says aloud "Star, Eclipsa, Get out of the royal archives room now!"

The pair froze, there was know way she knew they were in the royal archives, she hadn't even used the seeing eye spell or anything. But sure enough another piece of writing appeared on the scroll.

9:36AM-Queen Moon states "We all know you're in there, now get out and stay out, what goes on in these meetings is top secret!"

Both Star and Eclipsa huffed, Eclipsa turns to Star and says rarther downhearted "You wanna grab a bite to eat then?".

Star sighs and dejectedly pulls out her dimensional scissors to cut a portal saying with a melencholy tone "Yeah sure, I know a good place on Earth".

Back in the meeting room, Moon sighed loudly and said in a calm voice "Sorry about that, now then, Marco please give your report"

Marco stood and spoke "Yes your majesty, however if I can be allowed to speak freely for a moment, it seems like Star is only spying on the meeting because she isn't allowed in despite being the future Queen of Mewni" Marco thought about something before continuing "And perhaps a little because she's bored".

"Noted Marco, however Star is simply not at the age to attend these meetings by the laws of Mewni, her 18th birthday is coming up soon and when that happens she will be allowed past the guards to listen to us all talk for a few hours every week" Said Queen Moon before muttering under her breath "And I'm sure she'll quickly grow very bored of it".

Heckapoo giggled in the corner "No holding hands during the meetings though lover boy" she teased before giving Marco her trademark slap to the back of his head, ever determined to give him a bald spot.

Marco rubbed the back of his head and then got on with his report "We've been hearing numerous reports from the Rich Pigeon Kingdom about strange men overlooking the area from the hills to the south" Marco began, his voice now sounding official and a tad more manly ever since it finally finished breaking. "To be honest Queen Moon I wouldn't think much of these reports considering this is the same Kingdom which sends a dozen cries for help a day for when a cat strays too close".

Queen Moon furrowed her brow and sighed, "Yes they are a tad jumpy but since its actually people this time lets be on the safe side and send a small squad out to check the area, around 2 knights and their squires should do the trick".

Marco nodded "Yes your majesty, I shall send them at once, athough this time I'd like to request they recieve rations, I've still heard no end of complaints from the last few we've sent who had to surive on worms".

Queen Moon shuddered "Right so they haven't gotten the message about food for Mewmans..understood I'll have the chefs send over rations three times a day while the knights are away". She wrote something down in her notebook before saying "Omnitraxus your report please"

 **Southern Hills, Overlooking Rich Pigeon Kingdom-Nightfall**

Through his binoculars the prince could see it all, and it disgusted him. This once great fortruss built by the former Kingdom of the Mewnian Hills was now reduced to a roost for these rats of the sky. It's once great towers, walls and dining halls now coated with a fine layer of Pigeon shit, feathers and half eaten worms.

"Ugh" he groaned disgustedly before turning to his companion "Well general, I did plan to use this as a forward base but to be quite honest with you.." He then spat on the ground towards the direction of the castle "I would sooner spit on the flag of our beloved nation before I walked even a single inch into that tower riddled with crap, worms and germs"

His general nodded in agreement "You and me both your majesty, so what are my orders?" he inquired. The king opened a portal and stepped towards it saying "We switch to the second choice, but first I want you to gather the troops and use them to purge this sickening castle, leave not a single one of these flying rodents alive and burn the castle down to ash is that understood?".

The general drew his right arm across his chest in salute before yelling "Yes sir, Praise Helios!".

 **A/N: So it begins :) A fair warning, this story is going to be dark compared to my last one but I still hope you'll enjoy it, until next chapter then :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-Purge of the Roost

The meeting was soon adjourned, to which Marco sighed with releif as he made his way down the halls of Mewni's castle towards his office. Ever since Queen Moon had appointed him Representative of the Knights of Mewni to the Magical High Comission it had been a ridiculous amount of work. He enjoyed the job alot and was proud to gained such a prestigious title, but it did occasionally mean less time to relax and less time with Star. He sighed as he came to the door of his office, once these orders were sent out he pretty much could relax the rest of the day.

He stepped through the door into his rarther lavish office, it was adorned with flags of the armies of Mewni as well as a large Mewnian flag hanging at the back, his desk was solid marble and on its surface displayed a grand map of the kingdoms of Mewni, he mostly used this to map troop movements and know where the knights were at all times to keep track of their duties. His desk also had a laptop because it was certainly more efficient than keeping everything on scrolls, not to mention he could sneak a game or two on it from time to time when he got some peace.

Marco collapsed into his chair, the meetings were strangely draining despite him not having to do much besides outline what the knights were doing and if there were any potential threats to Mewni. Marco took a few moments to relax and think about the meeting, chuckling to himself when he remembered that Star and Eclipsa had attempted to spy on it. He himself had no idea how Queen Moon knew they were doing that but he still wished he could've seen their reaction to being caught.

Marco then hauled himself up and walked towards his mirror phone mounted onto the wall, standing in front of it he announced clearly "Call Sir Joffery of the 2nd Scouts Order" the mirror made the noise of a dial tone before eventually showing the image of a young boy, no older than 14, in an ill fitting set of chainmail and worn leather singlet.

Upon seeing Marco the boy immediately gave the Mewnian salute, albiet rarther nervously clearly quite concious of making a mistake, Marco smiled lightly and returned the salute before talking. "Ah, you must be Squire Potemkin, I've been told some good things about you" Marco said cheerfully with a gentle smile on his face, the boy seemed to relax slightly but maintained his nervous disposition.

"errm thank you sir Marco, how might I be of assistance to you sir?" the boy nervously stuttered. Marco held out his hand towards the screen and spoke calmly so as to cool the Squire's nerves.

"Relax kid, I just have orders for Sir Joffery, can you hand the mirror to him please?", The young squire nodded and passed the mirror to a slightly taller but much larger man who was standing proud with a great, red beard covering his most of his face, a shining steel chestpiece which had clearly been newly polished and sporting a red, tartan pattern kilt which came down to just above his knees.

Upon seeing Marco the Knight also performed the Mewnian salute, albiet with much more confidance and pride in his movements and posture, which Marco returned before speaking. "Ah Sir Joffery, how are you this morning?" Marco asked pleasently, it was always good for him to be friendly towards his troops, aside from keeping them happy it also ment they were much more likely to be accepting of orders without complaint.

"Very fine this morning Sir Marco, very fine indeed, I see you have made aquaintence with my new squire Potemkin" The knight ruffled the young lads hair as he spoke about him "A good lad with a loyal heart, all he needs now is the muscles and skills to match I'd say" he laughed heartily as he said this. Marco chuckled, he did enjoy Sir Joffery's company, he was a jolly soul and was one of the few knights who never looked down upon his squires.

"Excellent, good to see you've aquired a good squire, he should make a fine knight one day, but back to the matter at hand, I have new orders for you" Marco said turning official as he prepared to give the orders he had arranged with Queen Moon.

"Ah excellent!" celebrated Sir Joffery as he heard this "We've been sat around on guard duty too long, a real assignment should give me a chance to give the boy real training in the field". Marco nodded and opened up a scroll containing his notes from the meeting.

"Well, I don't know how exciting it will be, but at any rate your orders are to move towards the Rich Pigeon Kingdom and investigate reports of strange sightings of men in the southern hills" Sir Joffery looked concerned as Marco gave him his orders and Marco could instantly tell what was on his mind "Rations will be provided by the castle during this assignment, as Rich pigeon doesn't seem to have gotten the message about Mewnian food as of yet" Marco said, sounding a little annoyed at the last part as they had told Rich pigeon around a hundred times to provide some sort of actual food for Mewnian knights.

"We suspect they're just a small band of highwaymen or a few hunters that got a little too close, you know what that kingdom is like they get spooked at most things, come back to Mewni once you're satisfied their lands are secure, Understood?" Marco rolled up the scroll and looked back towards the mirror. The knight saluted and said "Yes sir, we will travel post-haste, farewell sir!" Marco returned the salute and then ended the call before once again slumping into his chair and moving a figurine, representing Sir Joffery, across to the Rich Pigeon Kingdom.

 **Nightfall-Rich Pigeon Kingdom**

Sir Joffery had arrived at the Rich Pigeon Kingdom a few hours after Marco had ordered him to set off, since then they had inspected the grounds and settled at their accomodation. They were stationed in a small watchtower to the south of the castle with views of the hills. The tower had fortunately been cleaned, under orders from Mewni after the last knights took ill from all the pigeon droppings, and was now probably the last pleasent area in the kingdom.

The Knight has settled down at the top of the watchtower and had just finished his ration of corn sent over by Mewni. His squire Potemkin was nearby polishing his boots and contentedly humming Star's princess song, which despite the protests of Star herself had actually become the most popular piece of music in Mewni.

The night was calm, aside from the near constant cooing of the pigeons. Both knight and squire had set up their sleeping quarters and were about to enter into a watch. Sir Joffery sighed and turned towards his young squire. "You'd best be getting some shut eye m'lad" He said as his squire directed his head up to look at him "They'll be plenty of time for polishing when your watch comes up". The squire nodded before saluting the knight, who promptly returned the salute, the squire then headed downstairs and hopped into one of two small beds that the tower had.

Before too long, Joffery heard the light snoring of his squire and chuckled to himself lightly "Lad needs to learn to relax a little" he mutters to himself before taking a small block of wood and his dagger. He then began to whittle, as he did so he looked up on a regular basis to check the hills. As the hours passed the moon rose higher into the sky and not long before the squire's watch was due to start, Sir Joffery saw shadows moving in the treeline on the hill.

He took out a set of binoculars, studying where he thought the shadows were coming from, but they didn't stay out in the open long and the night had made things difficult to see. The moon was only half and it's light was dim, barely revealing that there was even a forest at all. But before too long he began to see lights that came from behind the hills, they vanished as quickly as they came. Sir Joffery became nervous and went down to wake his squire and prepare him for anything.

Joffery walked down to the sleeping quarters to see his squire still sleeping peacefully in his bunk, he walked over and lightly shook the boy awake. "Potemkin, Potemkin, wake up my lad!" he said as he shook the boys shoulders to wake him. The boy awoke and stared groggily at the knight who stood tall before his bed.

"Sorry m'lad but we might have trouble brewing out there, get yourself ready" Joffery said as he handed the boy a sword and started to head back up to the observation platfom of the tower. As he reached the top he looked towards the hills and the sight that greeted him stopped him dead in his tracks.

There must've been hundreds of them, possibly thousands, the night made it hard to tell. What Joffery could be sure of however was that this was not a mere band of highwaymen, it was an invasion force. Through the darkness he saw only the sillouettes of the forces before him as well as their flags flying in the darkness, though he couldn't see the design.

Most forces known to Mewni wear unique armour that can be easily distinguished from one to the other. This army however was unrecognised by the knight, a disturbing sight in itself, but as he watched the army simultaneously raise their hands towards the castle. As their hands raised small lights appeared in all of them as they summoned small balls of fire to them. Joffery threw up a shield spell around the small tower to protect himself and his squire from the impending attack.

As he did so heard a single word yelled from across the distance, "Engage" and within an instant the soldiers on the hill began launching beams of fire towards the Rich Pigeon Kingdom. The fire immediately claimed the roofs of smaller buildings and the Pigeons droppings immediately acted like explosives as they came into contact with the flames, bringing the higher traffic areas of the castle crashing down.

The Pigeons of the kingdom attempted to flee in all directions in a mass panic, most quickly dropped dead by the flames that now engulfed their bodies, others were hit by stray shots raining down from the hilltop. Sir Joffery looked towards his squire standing behind him, his sword drawn and a look of fear plastered across his face. The first time he had seen such devestation.

"You must go boy!" Joffery yelled to his squire with urgency in his voice "I will hold them off, you must go and inform Mewni of this attack!" The squire looked uneasy and managed to yell "I won't leave you sir, even you can't fight them alone!" With that Joffery grabbed his squire by the collar with a single hand and held him up. "Do as I say boy!" He yelled before throwing his squire towards the exit to the tower "Inform Sir Marco that Rich Pigeon Kingdom is under attack and need immediate reinforcements!".

The boys eyes welled with tears, but he nodded and ran out of the tower, speeding as fast as he could towards Mewni on foot. Sir Joffery smiled lightly "Good lad, I hope you'll be a great knight some day laddie" he said to himself. Joffery then drew his sword and charged towards the hill.

On the hill itself, a young messenger from the front line was running to the rear of the line towards a small position adorned with flags towards the rear of the advancing forces. In it stood a small number of men who were dressed with prestigious uniforms laced with gold and glinting medals upon their chests.

The messenger shouted aloud as he approached the men "General Kahchi, I have urgent news from the front!". The officer turned to the young man and had a dissapproving look on his face.

"What possible news could there be boy!?" He yelled as the young man came to a standstill and saluted the general. "We're fighting a bunch of pigeons for gods sake!" The general returned the salute but still retained his disapproving scowl.

"Sir, thats just it" The boy yelled over the sounds of battle "Theres a Mewnian knight stationed in a tower on the front lines, the pigeons are retreating but he's managing to maintain his position" The general's look soon turned to one of annoyance, he thanked the boy and dismissed him before consulting his map.

"Damn, we weren't supposed to encounter the Mewmans this early, if that knight manages to get away we'll lose the element of surprise". General Kahchi pondered his options, there was nothing for it. He'd have to ensure that the knight does not manage an escape. As he took up his sword and prepared to do battle with the knight a portal opened behind him.

Turning to look at the portal, he immediately stopped and saluted the figure emerging from it. "Good evening your majesty, I hadn't expected to see you here" Kahchi said as the figure returned the salute and walked towards him.

"Well I couldn't resist witnessing how the first stage of our brilliant conquest is going, although it has come to my attention that simply exterminating some birds shouldn't have taken this long general." The king said as he darted an eye towards Kahchi who gulped nervously.

"Well you see your majesty I've just had troubling news from the front, I was about to go deal with it personally as a matter of fact" The king raised an eyebrow and directed his gaze towards the battle. "Oh?" He said in a calm, sinister tone "and might I enquire as to the nature of this troubling news?" he said again as he turned to once again face the now very nervous general.

"Well you see your majesty, while the vermin of this kingdom are being rapidly sent into the abyss, there is a Mewnian knight stationed here as well, he is obviously much stronger than the pigeons and so his own defence is holding" The general said as he took up his sword in preparation for the duel with Joffery. "I was just about to take care of him myself your majesty".

The king paused for a second and then held up his hand to halt Kahchi. "No, that will not be nessesary general" he said with a sinister smile on his lips. The general protested "But your majesty if he gets away we will lose the element of surprise and our war will become harder to win!" but to this the king once again gestured for his general to silence himself.

"What I mean general is that you will not have to face him" The king said as his eyes began to glow lightly "It has been so long since I've had a decent fight, and this knight might well be a good warm-up for events to come". The king now had a large grin on his lips as he strolled down to the front lines, soldiers making way for him as he passed them.

Sir Joffery spotted this lone figure approaching his position and noted that many of the men had stopped firing at his position, instead focusing on the pigeons attempting to flee the now burning kingdom. He grunted "This must be their champion, well lets see what you've got lad" he muttered to himself as he marched down to meet the figure on the open field.

"That's close enough!" Yelled Sir Joffery as he could now see the face of the man through the light of the flames engulfing the kingdom. The figure stopped and raised and eyebrow towards the knight as he looked him up and down.

"So this is what passes for a knight in Mewni?" he said in a sarcastic tone "well this whole thing is going to be easier than I thought" The king chuckled to himself as he said this, much to Sir Joffery's disgust.

"Silence yourself cur!" Shouted Joffery as he drew his sword. "Tell me who you are before put you out of your misery". The king chuckled once again.

"Goodness, Mewni has fallen a long way from the days of old, I remember when your knights knew their place when it came to dealing with your betters" he said in a rarther condescending voice. "Well peasent I will grace you with knowlege of my name, seeing as how it might be the last thing you'll ever learn". The king brushed a lock of hair away from his eye, revealing the scar that still marred his otherwise handsome face. "I am Emperor Helvete, grand sovereign of the Imperial Kingdom of Helios and soon to be liberator of Mewni from the scourge that is the butterfly family". As he finished this a great cry from his army behind him filled the air, thousands of voices exhaulting in one singular phrase "Praise Helios!" they cried as Helvete smiled approvingly.

"Now good sir knight, you must in turn grace me with your title, after all its only polite" Helvete said as he gestured towards the shocked Sir Joffery. Joffery cleared his throat before thrusting his chest out in pride and speaking aloud in a patriotic and heroic tone.

"I am Sir Joffery the Red, Knight of the 2nd Scouts order of the Kingdom of Mewni, Defender of the kingdom and her sovereign lady Queen Moon the Undaunted, and I will have your head mounted on my wall before I let you destroy my kingdom or her allies" as he spoke he raised his sword and prepared to engage Helvete in combat.

"Queen Moon huh? So Eclipsa's time has passed" Helvete said with a tinge of dissapointment in his voice "Such a shame, I had hoped to extract revenge on her, but I suppose her heirs will have to do" he said before his eyes glowed a bright red and the marks on his cheeks, shaped like the sun on his flag, glowed equally bright as the epression on his face changed to one that could only be described as pure evil.

Helvete extended his arm out and a small red ball appeared at his fingertip, aiming for Joffery he simply spoke "It's been a pleasure, knight of Mewni" and with that a red beam shot from his finger and straight through Sir Joffery's heart . Joffery stopped in his tracks and looked down at the now, bottlecap sized hole, through his body. He looked back up as his breathing became laboured and he coughed, showing blood over himself as it erupted from his mouth.

Sir Joffery collapsed face down on the floor and Helvete scoffed at the corpse laying before him "eugh, such an anti-climax, if this is what the Mewnian armies have come to this will be all too simple" he then looked up to the burining castle before him, extended his hand once more and fired a colossal beam of fire which engufled the entire building. After he was sure the castle was naught but ash, he turned and opened a portal. Dissapearing through it, leaving only Joffery's body, amongst a mountain of ash and charcoal.

 **A/N: Such is the death of the Rich Pigeon Kingdom, and the re-emergance of the now Emperor Helvete. Who'll be next to fall to his dreams of Mewnian conquest? Only time will tell, hope you enjoyed guys, until next time :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- The Threat Uncovered**

Potemkin scrambled through the night towards Mewni, the tears in his eyes having long since dried as his sorrow was overpowered by his sense of duty, he had to get help for Sir Joffery at any cost. His ears still burned with the sounds of battle and the screams of the dying, but mostly they rang with the final orders Joffery gave him. He had to reach Sir Marco and nothing would stop him, he only prayed that Sir Joffery could hold the enemy off.

Dawn had long since broken and over the horizon he could now see the glittering spires of Castle Butterfly. He smiled lightly to himself, he'd made it. After traversing hills and valleys, crossing the wide-fast flowing rivers of Mewni and avoiding the monsters that roamed Mewni's landscape, he could finally see his salvation. "Hold on Sir, I'll be back with help before you know it" Potemkin said silently to himself before continuing his run.

 **Castle Butterfly-Marco's Room**

Marco awoke from his bed and walked into the bathroom, after his usual morning routine of washing, shaving and sorting his hair, he slipped into his uniform. It was very modern looking compared to alot of the other knights as it was based loosely on the uniforms of Earth armies to distinguish him from the others.

It consisted of a navy blue set of trousers, and matching shirt, completed with a set of black combat boots which were highly polished. On the front of the uniform was a small tab embroided with a golden thread design of the royal crown of Mewni with a pair of crossed spears below it.

The uniform was light and contained very thin armor within the lining, but that suited Marco's combat style alot more. He was still by no means anywhere close to how he'd been in Hekapoo's dimension. However he was getting closer, his combat and magic skills had been improving alot in the last 2 years while training with the knights and Eclipsa.

As he finished putting on his uniform he suddenly heard a flirtatious voice come from the doorway to his room. "You know I did always like the look of a man in uniform". Marco turned to see the source of the voice was his beloved princess Star, stood just under the door frame leaning on it and eyeing the boy up and down with a sly smile on her face.

Marco approached his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her into a kiss. As they parted he whispered to her "Sorry I missed you yesterday, but the spying did make me laugh".

Star pouted slightly, "How did you guys know about that anyway!?" she whined as she tugged at Marco's collar lightly. Marco decided to tease Star a little, so he put a finger to his lips and said playfully "Ah, ah, ah Star, you know I can't tell you what happens in the meetings" he smiled slyly as he did this. Star pouted again and looked up at Marco, her deep, blue eyes glistening like sapphires as she attempted to apply the puppy dog eye trick. She could often melt Marco's defenses with this and this time was no exception.

However instead of a slightly frustrated sigh like he normally would respond to this trick, he simply chuckled lightly and shrugged, "honestly Star I have no idea, Moon just stood up and started talking to thin air in the middle of the meeting" he explained as Star lowered her head, disappointed that he didn't know how her mother did it.

Marco lifted her chin and planted a light kiss on her lips. "Don't worry Star, you'll get to attend the meetings soon anyway, after all, your birthday is coming up!" he said as he ran his hand through her long, silk-like hair and she rested her head on his chest. She nodded lightly and closed her eyes, smiling, she was always at peace like this.

The peace was shattered all too soon however when a messenger burst into the room and saluted the, slightly annoyed, couple. "My apologies Sir Marco and Your Highness, but Squire Potemkin has just shown up in the entrance hall, he's ranting like a madman claiming he needs to speak to you immediately Sir Marco".

Marco paused, rather stunned by the news, Potemkin was always the nervous type but it was unlike him to be in that sort've panicked state. Turning to the messenger he stated calmly "I'll be right there, try to get him to calm down", the messenger saluted before running down the halls towards the entrance hall.

"What's wrong Marco?" asked Star, seeing the deep look of concern on her boyfriend's face. Marco turned back to her and said "Only yesterday I sent Sir Joffery and Potemkin to the Rich Pigeon Kingdom to keep an eye on the place after Rich Pigeon got spooked, and now Potemkin returns panicked without Sir Joffery" Marco ponders to himself before turning to walk out the door, Star following him. "Something is very wrong..." Marco mutters worriedly.

 **Castle Butterfly-Entrance Hall**

Guards attempted to calm a haggard looking Potemkin as he rambled about needing help between demands and begs to see Sir Marco. His hair was disheveled and he had a number of rips in his clothing from the various hazards he had crossed getting through the wildlands of Mewni. He was exhausted and dripping with sweat, his eyes wide but tired looking as he desperately clung to consciousness in order to inform Sir Marco of what he knew.

A nearby castle medic attempted to give Potemkin water in small bursts. The boy could barely muster the energy to drink properly, he was now running on sheer willpower and fear of what might happen to Sir Joffery should he fail. His eyes suddenly locked onto Marco as he and Star descended the staircase towards the young squire.

Potemkin's eyes widened as he saw the pair and he staggered awkwardly to his feet. His legs felt like jelly and burned as he made the attempt but he managed to stand and walk exhaustedly towards the pair. As he reached the two his energy finally gave out and he collapsed, luckily Marco caught him just before he reached the floor and held him up.

"Potemkin what happened!?" Marco asked concerned as he held up the boy's barely conscious figure. Through the haze and fatigue, Potemkin saw that he'd made it to Marco. "Sir..." he spoke groggily as his mind faded in and out of reality.

Marco looked at the boy struggling to speak and attempted to reassure him "yes Potemkin it's me, Marco, what happened?" he said soothingly to the boy. Potemkin's eyes dimmed slightly but he fought with everything he had to maintain consciousness and even more just to talk.

"Sir..Rich Pigeon..Attack..Sir Joffery...Send..Help..Please.." was all Potemkin could manage to utter before unconsciousness finally claimed him and he became dead weight in Marco's arms. Marco was chilled to the bone by the phrase, he quickly ordered the castle physicians to take the squire to the hospital block and then he himself ran towards his office.

Entering his office Marco turned to his mirror phone. "call south watchtower" he uttered hurriedly. After a few seconds an image appeared on screen of a young knight with short orange hair, emerald green eyes and her face was dotted with freckles, Unlike the other knights she didn't greet Marco with a salute and addressing him as 'Sir' instead she smiled confidently and said in a sarcastic tone "Well, if it isn't Princess Star's own toy solider, to what do I owe the pleasure Marco?".

Marco rolled his eyes at the comment "You haven't changed much Higgs, I need you to look towards the Rich Pigeon Kingdom and tell me what's happening over there" Marco said with a look of concern and seriousness. Higgs giggled lightly, her and Marco had buried the hatchet a while ago and it was Marco himself that welcomed her into the order of the Knights, even going as far as to get her a posting of her choice, she took the watchtower for the views of Mewni of course.

"What's going on Marco?" she asked with a hint of concern "You seem tense today". Marco looked away from the mirror towards the wall trying to think. "I'm not sure exactly Higgs, but I've got reason to believe that the Rich Pigeon Kingdom has been attacked, could you just look for me please?" he said as he saw Higgs move towards a telescope in the tower and began to peer through it.

After a few seconds of looking and adjusting the telescope, Higgs gasped and drew back from the device, her eyes were wide and filled with fear at the sight. "Marco" she said nervously "t...there's smoke coming from the Rich Pigeon Kingdom...the plume must be at least a mile high, maybe more and I can't see their towers or citadel anymore". Marco went white as a sheet, he staggered back and steadied himself against his desk. He shook his head, trying to get away from all the terrible scenes that were playing in his mind.

Marco had to remain calm, He needed to act, and act quickly to try to help Mewni's allies. He stood properly to his feet and straightened his uniform. "thank you Higgs, that'll be all" he said calmly before ending the call and once again speaking to the mirror "call Hekapoo".

Hekapoo's image quickly appeared on the screen, she smiled politely and waved "Morning Marco, what's up?" she asked in a pleasant tone. Marco cleared his throat and spoke clearly in a serious tone.

"Hekapoo, Rich Pigeon Kingdom has been attacked, I've got a knight over there who needs assistance, I need you to gather some knights from the regiment stationed in your dimension and bring them there to assist, I'll be coming along as well...I need to see this for myself"

Hekapoo nodded, took up a pair of dimensional scissors and said calmly "okay Marco, I'll meet you there, don't leave me waiting long" she winked and then jumped through a portal. Marco took out his own dimensional scissors and walked into the hall. Pointing towards two guards he commanded "you two, follow me". The knights saluted and followed Marco through the portal.

 **Rich Pigeon Kingdom**

Marco emerged from the portal to see Hekapoo and a handful of knights already there, they were in utter shock and didn't acknowledge his arrival. Marco looked towards where the castle was and gasped in horror.

Very little evidence of the kingdom was left standing, aside from a few blackened walls, it was a mound of ash and rubble with small glints where the gold piles inside the castle had melted from the intense heat of the fires that had consumed it. Here and there were the charred remains of pigeons and small possessions that they attempted to flee with.

There were no signs of life left in this place, as he continued to scan the area Marco noted something under one of the ash piles. "A hand!" he yelled as he and a couple of other knights raced towards it, they dragged the hand out from the pile it was under. The shock returned as they realized that it was Sir Joffery, unburnt but very much dead. Hekapoo inspected the body as best she could and sighed as she turned to Marco.

"This knight didn't die from the fire, he was killed by a weapon or a spell of some kind" she said as she studied the hole in Sir Joffery's chest. She then stood and turned to her knights "Scan the area for any signs of the ones that did this, flags, symbols, footprints anything" she commanded.

The knights spread out and searched the rubble and ash as well as around the hills and nearby river for anything they could find. Hekapoo and Marco stood near Joffery's body and talked.

"Who do you think did this?" Marco said with a tinge of fear present in his voice, he had never seen destruction on this scale before. It was unlike even the battles for Mewni he had fought in the past, there was nothing left of the Rich Pigeon Kingdom. No buildings, no crops, no life of any kind, it was simply a charred, blackened graveyard of unmarked tombs.

"I'm not sure Marco, but one thing's for sure" Hekapoo said as she watched the landscape "They only wanted to destroy the kingdom, they didn't want to conquer or raid it for profit, all the gold is still here, its just melted is all" she pointed out the golden puddles in various places throughout the ash, the metal had cooled now but it looked nothing like the piles of coins it had once been.

"That's for sure, but we need to find out who did this, and they have to face the consequences" Marco said as he clenched his fist. He looked down at the corpse before him and his eyes filled with tears "I'm so sorry Sir Joffery, you deserved much better than this" he said as he was filled with regret.

Hekapoo placed a hand on his shoulder "Hey Marco don't blame yourself, you couldn't have thought this was going to happen" she then clenched her own fist "but you're right, whoever did this will pay dearly for it" her flame increased in intensity as she said this.

A knight came forward and presented a small piece of cloth to Marco. "Sir, this is all we could find, it looks to be a patch of some kind for a piece of clothing" said the knight as he gave the patch to Marco. Marco and Hekapoo inspected the material and its design, A red sun with the rays stretching to the edge of the patch on a black background.

"It looks like a flag of some kind, probably the symbol of whoever attacked this place" said Marco to himself. He pocketed the patch and said "I'll route through the archives when I get back and see what I can dig up, can you take note of any inter dimensional travel that's happened recently Hekapoo?" Hekapoo nodded and opened a portal to her own dimension where she could gather the data she needed.

Marco turned to the remaining knights and said solemnly "Get this body on a stretcher, this knight deserves a proper burial in Mewni" The knights saluted and went to load the body of Sir Joffery onto a stretcher for transport. Marco cut a portal back to the castle and he, with his knights carrying Sir Joffery, stepped through.

 **Helios-War Room**

Helvete, with General Kahchi stood with several other military officials around a large map table. The room was filled with a combination of arguments, movements of troops across the map, messengers and letters. Helvete cut through the noise to speak.

"Gentlemen, I shall make this very plain to you" He began in an official tone with his voice clear and precise "The target is as old as Mewni herself, dating back centuries, and for centuries her dynasty has been filled with powerful magic users and a powerful military force". He stopped for a second to remember how he had seen the place in his youth, before a disgusted look appeared on his face and he continued "However, now its once proud ruling dynasty who could command as much respect and authority as Mewni itself, is populated with spoiled brats who care little for matters of military leadership or state building" he paused again to look down at the images of the royal family of his next target with disgust on his face.

"The heir to the throne, is a foolish, spoilt child who cares more about partying and soap operas than her role as princess, and as a result the nation has become flabby, fat, lazy and incompetent" He clenched his fist and began to raise his voice "We must now be forced to expel them from their home and eliminate their line of succession, in order to restore their kingdom to its former glory we must seize it from their possession" The men around him nodded in agreement and a murmur of approval traveled throughout the room.

"So now, my request is very simple gentlemen" Helvete paused and looked each of his men dead in the eye and was as serious as can possibly be "I wish to see our banners fly over the Ponyhead Kingdom and for its royal family to be displaced and put to justice, and once this is done, the butterfly family will have lost one of it's most powerful allies and will be crippled, is that clear gentlemen?" he said as he stood tall over the map.

The men around the table saluted their emperor and exalted "Praise Helios!". They then left to prepare their armies and ready themselves for the first real test of their skills. Helvete stood staring at the map of the Ponyhead Kingdom. He raised his hand to point at the Centre of the image, and within an instant it burst into flames. As the flames traveled to the edges of the map he smiled a sinister grin.

"This is the dawn of my empire" he said to himself "This is the final chapter of the age of Mewni".

 **A/N: Higgs, Hekapoo and the new target for Helios all in one chapter :D The next chapter is planned out a little so it shouldn't be too long before that gets released, until then hope you're enjoying the story so far :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-The Secrets of our Past**

Potemkin awoke in a haze, his entire body ached and his muscles burned with pain and exhaustion. He felt something cool on his forehead, reaching a hand up, he took hold of a damp flannel that covered the top of his head and looked at it curiously.

"You know if you take that off its not gonna do any good" a voice came from beside him, through the pain he turned his head to look to his left to find the source of the voice. What Potemkin was greeted with was a young knight. She had short orange hair, emerald green eyes and small freckles dotted her face.

"Ma'am?" Potemkin's dry, cracked voice broke through to adress the girl before him. She put a finger to her lips and replaced the damp cloth onto Potemkin's head.

"Just call me Higgs for now kid" She said reassuringly as she gestured for him to lay back down and rest. Potemkin laid back down but couldn't shake his own curiosity and strained to speak.

"Ma'am, where is Sir Joffery?" he asked timidly, Higgs looked away slightly despondant and placed a hand on Potemkin's as she spoke as soothingly as she could.

"He fell while defending the Rich Pigeon Kingdom, Marco and Hekapoo recovered his body as they inspected the ruins, the funeral is later today, I'm sorry Potemkin" she said as she looked into the boys eyes. The boy began to weep as the pain of loss enveloped him. Higgs stayed by his side as he cried for his knight, knowing all too well the pain he felt.

"I know what it's like Potemkin" she said with a heavy heart as Potemkin looked up to her with tears still flowing "A year ago, shortly before I became a knight myself, I lost Sir Stabby" She lightly giggled at the name "Not a great name I know, but he was like a father to me as well as a teacher" tears came to her eyes as she remembered the knight who taught her all she knows.

"What happened to him Ma'am?" Potemkin asked with hesitation, as Higgs looked towards the boy and sniffed before wiping her eyes. She took a small scrap of cloth from her pocket and handed it to the boy. The scrap was decorated with an image that was unfamiliar to Potemkin, it was a purple clover, the scrap was burned at the edges and had clearly been torn from something.

"During Meteora's attack on Mewni, he fell trying to fight her, most people she stole their souls and they returned to normal when she was defeated" she sighed heavily as the memory came back to her "But she also just killed several people using her own strength, Sir Stabby was one of them" she said sadly as another tear fell from her emerald eyes.

She then wiped her eyes and looked towards Potemkin with determination present on her face. "Do you still want to be a knight one day?" she asked confidently as she stood to look over Potemkin revealing her well polished, silver armour and the red uniform it partially covered. Potemkin looked at her in awe and nodded with his own look of determination.

"Good, because from now on you're my squire, understood!?" she said as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Potemkin nodded and smiled lightly "Yes Ma'am!" he yelled.

 **Marco's Office-Nightfall**

The funeral of Sir Joffery had been heavy on Marco's heart, the guilt for his death still on his mind. Many had told Marco that it wasn't his fault, but still Marco couldn't shake a portion of the blame for the results of his own orders. He could've done more, sent more knights, gone himself, anything. But he hadn't, he'd taken the warning too lightly and sent Sir Joffery to his death.

But Marco could not afford to get lost in his guilt, he now had a new duty. He had to avenge Sir Joffery and bring those responsible to justice for the genocide at Rich Pigeon Kingdom. Marco took the piece of cloth his knights had found and placed it on his desk, studying it, he couldn't place what it could possibly be. It was certainly a symbol, a flag even, but of who? He had studied all the known flags and symbols of Mewni and this one had never been seen, a new threat and he couldn't find out who it was.

There was a knock on the door which startled Marco out of his thoughts, straightening himself up he called out to the door "Come in" he commanded as the door opened and a young squire walked in carrying a small book labelled "Mewnian flags and known clans". The squire saluted Marco, who returned the salute, and he said "Sir Marco, my knight Sir Vilmort thought you could make use of these two books, they may assist you in locating the villains who took Sir Joffery's life".

Marco smiled as the squire placed the books lightly onto the edge of his desk, he thanked the squire and turned to the books he had given him. The squire saluted and then made his way out of the door before closing it, once again leaving Marco alone. The second book the squire had presented turned out to be a copy of 'The secret history of Mewni' but the name of the author surprised Marco more than anything else. "King Shastacan" he said to himself rather surprised.

Marco pondered in his head as he stared at the front cover of the book, "why would Eclipsa's ex-husband write a book about Mewnian history?". Marco pondered this for a moment before opening the cover to find that there was a forward from King Shastacan before the book started.

 _To whomever finds this,_

 _I must bring forward, before my dying day, the true history of my rule as king of Mewni. I have done many terrible things that have gone hidden from the Mewmans I am supposed to defend and protect. My former beloved Queen Eclipsa has also committed more sins than I care to mention, but I must mention them. If I do not then these stories will never be known, Mewmans believe that the worst thing my Queen has ever done was to abandon the kingdom to elope with the terrible being known as Globgor the Merciless._

 _My most loyal subjects, I can only hope that you can forgive her and forgive myself for the wrongs we have done to the kingdom of Mewni. We have tried throughout our reign to do what is right by you. But out personal historical cronicals will not tell the true or full story. So it seems it falls to me to reveal the truth, I can only hope it will serve a purpose some day._

 _Signed,_

 _King Shastacan_

 _Royal consort to the Queen of Mewni_

Marco saw the sadness and regret in the note and could only wonder what had happened to the king to trigger this sort of reaction. Perhaps it was Eclipsa leaving, or maybe he was coming close to death. But either way, he must remember to thank Sir Vilmort for this gift.

Marco began to read the history, at first it was simply a story of the start of their reign, how he and Eclipsa had been married against their will by their royal parents to strengthen ties between their nations. It then carried on to cataloge the disinterest Eclipsa had in producing an heir to the throne, and how she would actively seek distractions from her husband to avoid the topic.

Marco sighed as he read, suddenly feeling very sorry for both Eclipsa and King Shastacan, They had both been presented with sad lives. Eclipsa was forced into a marriage with a man she did not love but couldn't now escape from and if that wasn't bad enough it seems King Shastacan had actually fallen for her, but could not get her to feel the same for him despite his efforts.

Shortly after the story of the coronation of Eclipsa upon the death of her mother, Marco gasped as he turned the page to the next chapter. Drawn onto the centre of the page was the same symbol as the scrap that Marco's knights had found. He drew nearer to the book and brought a notebook close to him to take notes of any points that might help him in this chapter. He then began to read through the writing surrounding the symbol.

 _I wish to make something clear before I tell you this story, my dearest queen took these actions in order to protect Mewni from a horrific fate. While her methods were questionable and the fate of the enemy was less than merciful. Actions were necessary to protect our nation, however this would also contribute to what Mewmans know as the most treacherous act that a Mewman queen would ever commit against her citizens._

 _It was a couple of days after the coronation of my beloved queen, we were awaiting the representatives of the known kingdoms in and around Mewni to pay respects to the new monarch of the kingdom. After what seemed an eternity the final representative showed up. This was Prince Helvete of Helios._

 _Helvete was a strange man to say the least, he seemed more preoccupied with flirting with Hekapoo than he was with matters of state, though I do suppose he was young, at least in his own dimension. He appears to be a young 18 year old prince however it seems in reality he is actually over 100 in Mewman time. Honestly this is why I never got into dimensional travel, its just plain confusing._

 _But getting back on topic, my queen used her magic that night to spy on each of the representatives in secret, she didn't do this to be malicious but what she discovered was a heinous plot to seize Mewni by force by this young prince. She changed that night, I don't think i've ever seen a scarier look on my queens face. She cut a portal and walked through, it would be hours before she returned._

 _When she did she simply told the guards blankly to return Helvete to his dimension, stating his welcome had "run out". I looked on as she then turned to me and stated as plainly as before "don't wait up, i'll be late Shastacan" before using the royal wand to fly off into the distance, towards the Kingdom of the Southern Hills._

 _I only learned later that Helios had been eradicated, Eclipsa and her personal legion of monsters led by a demon known as Globgor the Merciless had destroyed Helios and left nothing alive. My queen had not only left me for a monster, but she and that disgusting being had comitted genocide on a scale unseen in the entire history of Mewni. I am now sworn to secrecy. She has offered me the kingdom in return for my silence about the atrocity...I am ashamed to say I obeyed. But it must be put somewhere, my conscience will not allow me to allow this to be forgotten._

 _This symbol is the flag of Helios, while they may have had a plot against us, they did not deserve their fate. I only hope that this small piece of them can survive. Maybe the innocents of their nation can be remembered someday._

Marco dropped the book in shock, He had previously heard that Eclipsa had arranged for Helios to be attacked by the monsters of it's dimension in order to take revenge for their plans against Mewni. But he hadn't imagined that she'd done something so horrific, if this truly was a re-emergance of Helios then he could now understand why they had purged the Rich Pigeon Kingdom instead of taking it over. This was a fight for revenge, not for glory or wealth.

Marco gulpled and then said to himself nervously "I have to tell the comission" he paused and then spoke once more "But first, I need to speak to Eclipsa".

 **Ponyhead Kingdom**

A scout lay behind one of the higher pink clouds that formed the ground in the Ponyhead lands, he was dressed in a lighty armoured, red, cloth uniform he took out a small pair of binoculars and a notebook. As he studied the walls of the Ponyhead kingdom, a small smile came to his face. The defences were there for certain, but those who manned them were clearly ill disiplined and had never known war.

He observed as the gurads, talked, laughed and played card games with each other. They rarely looked up from their activities and hobbies. Fewer still even had weapons with them of any kind besides the few that had horns. The scout chuckled to himself "This is going to be easier than dealing with those birds" he muttered. The scout opened a portal and jumped through, leaving not a trace that he'd ever been there.

 **Kingdom of Helios-War Room**

Helvete was alone in the war room pondering a map of Mewni. He was occasionally drawing symbols and lines on it representing his battle strategy. This time he would leave nothing to chance when it came to his war. Mewni would be his and those who stood before him would be purged.

A scout walked into the room and saluted the Emperor, "Praise Helios" he exhaulted as he performed the salute. Helvete returned his salute and looked down towards the scout. "What news do you have?" he asked in a formal, unfeeling tone.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I have viewed the defences of the Ponyhead kingdom, while the defenders themselves are undisiplined and actively disregard their duties of defence, the walls are solid and thick, even taking down the defenders, I feel that we couldn't break through the wall quickly, especially given their resilience to fire magic after the old battles with the Lucitors" The scout said as he read from his notes to Helvete.

Helvete listened intently and then smiled to himself, he gestured for the soildier to follow him and led the man off to a room with groups of men in dark red overalls working on metal and machinery within a vast room. Helvete turned to the scout and said deviously "Whoever said that I was going to use magic to break those walls?" as he pointed to one of the completed works of the engineers, sitting at the front of the hall.

It was a large round barrel, with wheels and two legs which kept it braced agaisnt the floor. The scout had never seen anything like it, it wasn't remotely like a catapult or any of the traditional tools of Mewnian warfare. He looked up towards his Emperor.

"Begging your pardon your imperial majesty, but what is this thing?" he asked nervously. Helvete looked down at the scout who could now see the red, confident eyes of his emperor clearly, it was like he was staring into hell itself. The rage, the fire, the desire to rule through bloodshed, it was all revealed to him as Helvete looked down on the scout.

"It's called a Cannon my boy" Helvete remarked as he looked back up towards it "and upon the completion of the other 299 of them, they shall become only a small part of our revolutionized war machine, and they will flatten anything that stands before us in a cataclysm of hellfire and fury". Helvete then smiled a sickening grin as he led the scout towards the gun, and began to demonstrate how it works.

 **A/N: A secret history and a new machine of war? Seems like Mewni is in more danger than we thought. I hope you're all enjoying this story. Just a couple of notes to help you along. The Helios flag is based off the Japanese naval flag just with a black background. The "Cannon" of Helvete is actually closer to a British L118 Light Gun. I wanted them to have essentially brought modern tools of war to Mewni, this helps even out the score when it comes to magic use.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- A Dark Deal**

The morning sun broke through the clouds over the Mewnian landscape. It's bright rays illuminating the hills, casting shadows over her valleys. The rivers glistened as the light hit their fast moving water causing a lightshow as the waters shone and twinkled. It was a picture that personified the beauty of Mewni and her lands, but it was a reminder of what had existed in the Rich Pigeon Kingdom before the atrocity that had befallen her. Sure, the castle had been a one of the most unsanitary places in all the kingdoms. But the land surrounding it was some of the most wonderful and colourful for 1000 leagues. Now all that lay there was a barren and burned landscape that was permeated with the foul oder of burnt corpses.

These thoughts plagued Marco's mind as he awoke that morning, it had been a near sleepless night but he had a job to do, he had to find out the truth of this attack. This was no random act of violence, that much was clear. This was pure, unrestricted slaughter, the likes of which was only seen during war. If this was Helios, then the why of things was clear, but Marco needed to be sure before he pursued them and attempted to locate their nation. It was time to talk to Eclipsa.

Marco readied himself for the day, he went through his usual morning routine before once again slipping into his uniform and clipping his sword and scabbard to his belt. "These days you never know when you'll need a weapon ready" he thought to himself as he straightened up his uniform and drew his dimensional scissors.

"Just where do you think you're going so early?". The voice made Marco jump slightly and he turned to face the source, which was an annoyed looking Star Butterfly. He gulped nervously as he turned to face her, she walked in from the doorway and stopped at arms reach, clearly expecting an answer.

"I need to speak to Eclipsa, this attack could be related to her past and I need to know what she did before I look for those responsible" he said nervously as Stars expression got more annoyed with each word. She drew closer and gently tugged at his collar.

"Marco, I know you're working hard to do this, I really do" she paused before continuing as her expression changed to one of slight sadness and she looked towards the floor slightly "But I feel like you're leaving me out of this and I don't know why, we're supposed to be a team Marco, we always have been so let me help you" she lightly pleaded as she looked up towards the boy.

Marco looked into the pleading eyes of his princess and felt sadness envelop him. She was right, he'd been so focused on the attacks that he'd forgotten just how much he needed her. Not just because he loved her but because they were a team, and there was nothing they couldn't do. He sighed "I'm sorry Star, I didn't mean to make you feel like that, I just don't know how dangerous this is going to be and, I wouldn't know what I'd even do if I lost you.." Marco would've continued but Star placed a finger to his lips and stopped him, tears were making their way down her cheeks as she looked towards him.

"Don't dare talk like that Marco Diaz!" she yelled, prompting a jump from Marco. Star only ever called him by full name when she was annoyed or angry, and this was certainly the latter. Her tone was deadly serious and the grip on his collar was tightening. It always scared Marco when she got like this, there wasn't much he could do to stop whatever happened now.

"How would you think I'd feel if I lost you!?" she yelled at him, stunning him as she spoke "Especially if it was because I wasn't there to help!" Her eyes flowed with tears and her voice became more and more sad as the yelling continued. "We're a team Marco, I love you and I want to help you solve this thing, we've done everything else together, so let's do this together as well!" Star pleaded as she pulled Marco into a deep kiss which was filled with passion, anger, love and a mix of other emotions.

When they parted Marco solemnly looked towards his princess "Okay Star, I'm sorry for leaving you out of this, you're right, I need you by my side through this and I want you to be there...please Forgive me" he said as he looked deep into her eyes.

Star pecked Marco on the lips lightly and whispered "I already did". Marco opened a portal and took Star's hand before saying "our discussion with Eclipsa might be a bit of a shock". Star waved her hand dismissing the comment "psshh, come on Marco it's Eclipsa, How bad could it be?" she said happily as they strolled through the portal.

 **Lucitor Kingdom**

Tom had been called to the throne room on short notice by his parents. This was strange, they'd asked him to come in ceremonial dress and keep up good demeanor, which sounded like what he got told to do during something like a state visit or a trial. But those things were always planned months in advance and he was informed a while before so he could prepare. However this one came out of the blue as he was preparing to head to a movie with an Earth girl Marco had introduced him too.

She told him it was cool, but that he'd owe her next time and he agreed before hanging up the phone to don his formal attire. On the way to the throne room Tom pondered as to who could possibly be visiting like this, it was in Star and Marco's nature to show up unannounced but they'd just portal into his room and ignore the trouble of being all formal. The Ponyheads and the Lucitors never interacted out of a mutual distrust and even outright hatred in some cases. The Rich Pigeons perhaps? Seemed abit odd for them to show up to Tom. But then again who can really predict the behaviour of a bunch of birds.

Tom shrugged and pushed open the door to the throneroom of Lucitor Castle. It was a grand space with rivers of lava flowing behind glass on the walls which illuminated the room. A grand steel chandelier with blazing red fires on its ceiling. All around on the walls were intricate decorations and of course, murals denoting the past monarchs of the Lucitors, with a blank spot ready for when Tom took his rightful place on the throne someday.

Tom took a spot on a seat by to the right of his farther who was in turn on the right of his mother. They sat in silence awaiting the arrival of their guest, a servant came forward with a small scroll. "His Imperial Majesty Emperor Helvete of the New Helios Empire" the servant announced as the doors to the court opened and Helvete approached the Lucitor family.

He stood alone, no guards, no advisors, this was unusual for a monarch as they would usually never be found alone. However here he was, a confident, if not slightly sinister, smile on his lips. Tom studied this man closely, observing everything from his uniform, to his hair and the scar over his eye, all the way down to the way he carried himself and his mindset. Growing up around demons and souls of all kinds, Tom had learned to figure out a person's mindset and personality from simply looking into their eyes. Right on cue Helvete looked in Tom's direction right into his eyes.

Tom shuddered, he couldn't understand what he was feeling, it was a mix too strange to put a pin on. On the one hand he could feel himself being read by Helvete, as if those eyes were staring into many thousands of souls within Tom's body and yet managing to pinpoint his true self through the sea of angered spirits. When he tried to do the same to Helvete he could only see true darkness and an overwhelming magical power, he'd never sensed anything like this even from the strongest wills and magic users of Mewni.

Tom coiled back in his seat with fear in his eyes as he watched Helvete smirk and re-direct his attention towards Tom's parents. "Your Majesty, I come to you today in the hope of reaffirming our long history of brotherhood and mutual assistance" Helvete's cheeks glowed as he summoned a disk of flames with a red centre that presented itself as a picture frame of sorts. The disk changed to show an image of the Helios flag and Helvete began talking once more.

"300 years ago, under the wise and benevolent leadership of my farther, King Fornax the Smith, the kingdom of Helios became a thriving nation state, famed for its industrial might and it's cutting edge technology that advanced those who traded with her into a new age of prosperity" as Helvete spoke the disk began to show images of Helios as it had been, with its glittering towns and its massive factories and blacksmiths churning out everything from weaponry to toys for children. "This however was not to last" he spoke sadly as the image soon changed to show Eclipsa's tapestry.

Helvete gestured to the image and spoke confidently "I'm sure you all remember this lovely lady, I must say too much black for my taste" he joked as he re-directed his gaze back to the Lucitors "Eclipsa, Queen of Darkness, quite the infamous title you could say, but hardly undeserved my friends and not only because of her choice of lovers" a disgusted look appeared on Helvete's face as he spoke those words.

"Queen Eclipsa, along with her army of monsters led by her eventual monster love Globgor the Merciless, annihilated my kingdom, leaving only a handful of survivors including myself, however the battle left me scarred and my kingdom in ruins" He paused and clenched his fist in anger over the memories as images flashed on the screen of the destruction and ruins of Helios, followed by an image of Globgor himself burning a village with a jet of flame from his mouth.

"It's fitting when you think that a Queen of Darkness and a Merciless King of Monsters became lovers while destroying my home" he spoke with a barely hidden rage towards the couple on his screen. He composed himself and then continued to speak to the Lucitors with his demeanor restored. "That is why I have come brothers and sisters, my Empire has now been restored and we seek to bring justice to those that have wronged us, we realise that you have been at peace with the Butterfly Kingdom for a long time, however they have shown no gratitude to you for this peace, keeping you down here in the dark, denying your son the right to marry their fair Princess Star and of course..." Helvete paused observing how Tom was sitting with a visible look of anger on his face.

Helvete smiled devilishly to himself as he observed Tom's anger, he knew he could get the Lucitors to listen, even if their son knew what he was getting at. "..Allying Themselves deeply with the Ponyhead's, who were the ones who cast you down here in the first place if my history is correct, and yet the Butterfly's and the Ponyhead's have been the closest of Allies for centuries now, even going as far as having every princess from each family form a close friendship from childbirth".

Tom's parents looked at each other, Helvete spoke the truth it seemed, the Lucitors were always at odds with the Butterfly Kingdom despite the fact they were supposed to be allies. To add insult to injury, when they finally thought they would strengthen ties through a union of the prince to their princess. A Earthling known as Marco had stolen Star away with the approval of the King and Queen, it was all too much to bear.

"What exactly are you proposing, your Imperial Majesty?" spoke King Lucitor as he listened intently for a reply. Helvete simply smiled and looked up towards the King and Queen.

"I wish to perform justice on the Butterfly family through war, and for that I will ask for your assistance, when this war is over, Helios will rebuild Mewni into a new prosperous utopia, where the injustices of the Butterfly family will never again affect the poor citizens of Mewni or any other dimension" He announced proudly as an image showed Butterfly castle, flying a Helios flag. The landscape changed into a scene of industry and wealth the likes of which the Lucitors had never even dreamt of.

The king and queen looked to each other and nodded unanimously, turning back to face Helvete they asked simply "What would we get out of this?". Tom slammed his hand down onto the table that held his drink, it was too much, he had to speak up and protect his friends from this fate.

"How can you even consider this!?" he yelled, sparking a startled look from his mother and father. "This is war with Mewni we're talking about, they're our friends, and we've known them a heck of a lot longer than we've known this insane bastard!". Tom had never spoken out like this against his parents before and from the looks they did not approve of it very much, but he pressed on regardless, pointing towards Helvete he yelled "This lunatic is going to drag us into a horrific war, a war where millions Mewmans, Underworld citizens, Ponyhead's and others will die all because he wants to rule Mewni with an iron fist!".

"That's Enough!" Boomed his mother from atop her throne, her voice shocked most of the court with its power, Tom was stunned for a moment, his mother had never yelled like that before. "Now young man, this is not your place to speak, nor is it your kingdom to rule yet, so you will be silent and obey your parents, or you will march down to your room at once and stay there for the remainder of the day!".

Tom walked out of the court and slammed the door hard behind him, tears filled his eyes as he wandered the halls. He couldn't stop this war from happening. He looked towards his dimensional scissors on the table outside the court and considered "But maybe I can warn Star and Marco" he said to himself as he grabbed the scissors and ran to his room.

Back in the court, Queen Lucitor spoke again "My apologies, Emperor Helvete, he's usually such a good boy I just don't know what got into him" she said with a motherly tone which was unfitting her size and appearance.

Helvete chuckled "Not to worry your majesty, he's got passion, I was the same at his age, its the mark of a fine young man and a fine future ruler of his nation" He smiled up at the Queen who smiled back and thanked him for the comment. Helvete then continued with his proposal "Now then, since you're helping me take Mewni, I see it as being only fair if I help you take the Ponyhead kingdom for yourselves, I mean lets be honest, you've done wonderful things with the underworld but I know you've always wanted to have control over their ivory tower, so that is my offer" Helvete stuck out his hand "Do we have a deal your majesty?" he said with a sinister tone in his voice.

The King smiled and approached Helvete, taking his hand and shaking it "You have a deal your Imperial Majesty" he said as both men smiled and took in their new alliance.

 **Mewni Flower Gardens**

Star and Marco emerged from the portal to a field coated with small patches of rose bushes, vines crept up the stone walls surrounding the garden and a thin stream ran between the bushes keeping up their water supply through the vines that ran through it. To the rear of the garden was a small bench, where Eclipsa was sat, humming a tune and feeding a squirrelicorn from a bag of peanuts.

She looked up and smiled at the couple "Hello you two, training isn't until tomorrow, what's going on?" she said pleasantly as the couple approached. Marco found that now he was here the doubts about what he had read became stronger, he'd known Eclipsa two years and she never seemed as evil as the stories say, quite the opposite in fact.

"Well, I need to ask you something Eclipsa" Marco said nervously. Eclipsa chuckled, "Are you sure you want to ask where babies come from with your girlfriend present Marco?" she joked as she took a peanut from the bag and tossed it into her mouth. Both teens blushed heavily and shook their heads.

"Jeez Eclipsa, I'm sure that's not what he wants to ask" Star yelled with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. Eclipsa giggled to herself and looked towards the couple again "I'm joking dear, I'm sure he already knows exactly where babies come from anyway" she teased once again.

Through his blushing, Marco cleared his throat "Eclipsa look, I was given a historical book written by King Shastacan about your reign" he said hurriedly as the embarrassment still made itself present on his cheeks. Eclipsa however suddenly turned serious and stopped her giggling at the teens.

"Right, that's strange he wasn't much of a writer when I knew him, what did you want to know dear?" she asked with curiosity in her voice. Marco cleared the nervousness from his voice and then took a more formal tone as he spoke.

"Eclipsa, What did you and Globgor do to Helios?"

 **A/N: That was a rapid chapter wasn't it? So now a pact against Mewni has formed between the Lucitors and Helios. Thinks are looking bleak for the Ponyheads and Butterfly's. Which alliance will survive the coming war? Thank you for all the support for the Story so far, I love writing it and I'm happy you're all enjoying it. Till next time :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Step into the Past

Marco's words has shocked Eclipsa, she looked away from the couple, a sad glint in her eyes. Marco observed as a small tear dropped down from Eclipsas cheek onto the rose below it. Could it be true? Everything he had read in the secret history? Did Eclipsa really do something so horrific that simply remembering it brought regret and despair?

"I'm sorry" Eclipsa said quietly, her voice shakey and on the edge of tears. "I just..haven't heard my husband's name in over 300 years now, it brings back a lot of memories and thoughts of lost time you know?" Star and Marco nodded. Star looked down towards Eclipsa and felt sorry for her at this moment. As happy as Eclipsa always seemed around the castle, Star often forgot that she'd lost everything she'd ever known and loved during the time she was crystalised.

"I understand Eclipsa, and I'm sorry, but I need to know" Marco replied with a sadness to his voice as he watched Eclipsa's own loss play out before his eyes "This attack on the Rich Pigeon Kingdom wasn't random, it was the result of some motive, and considering the evidence I've found, I have to ask what you and Globgor did during your battle with Helios".

Eclipsa looked towards the young knight and wiped the tears from her eyes as she stood to face him. "Why do you need to know about Helios?" she asked with confusion in her voice. Marco held out the scrap given to him by the knight at Rich Pigeon Kingdom.

"Because of this, It matches King Shastacan's drawing of the Helios flag from his book, the evidence is too hard to ignore" Marco said as Eclipsa studied the flag. She then went pale and fell back into the bench. Star and Marco looked on with concern and Star attempted to steady Eclipsa.

"Inside" Eclipsa said in a hushed, worried voice "We need to speak inside the tower". She got up and pulled Star towards her tower with Marco following on behind the pair.

 **Eclipsa's Tower**

Once inside the tower Eclipsa closed the door behind them, she then walked towards a small alcove which overlooked the garden and sat on it, while Marco and Star sat themselves on a small sofa just across from her.

Eclipsa cleared her throat and spoke softly "You must understand something before I tell you, I took the actions I did in order to protect Mewnian sovereignty and neither myself or my husband brought any harm to the innocent". Star and Marco nodded, and Eclipsa began to share her story.

 **Eclipsa's Flashback-300 Years ago, Helios Dimension**

Eclipsa exited the portal and surveyed the landscape before her, it wasn't too far flung from Mewni itself. Rolling hills with fast flowing rivers and forests that streched for miles, undisturbed as it had been for thousands of years.

Eclipsa continued to walk through the landscape, observing the area for any signs of life or civilization, she was unsure of this dimension and wasn't looking to run into Helios itself. No she was looking for the monster tribes of Helios. Those who Helvete had said time and time again during his conversations with Hekapoo, despised Helios with every waking breath and must be exterminated.

"Ugh, all he seems to think of is war against the innocent" she muttered to herself as she continued her walk. Eclipsa had never had any problem with monsters the way the previous Queens of Mewni did. She didn't much see anything wrong with them, okay they're not great to look at but they're capable and industrious which would certainly help Mewni if she could only convince the population to stop attempting to kill them or flee from them.

Eventually she came across a small village formed from Mud huts surrounded by thick woodlands which formed a kind of wall around it, she saw an opening which appeared to be a gate of some kind and headed towards it. When she got there she was stopped in her tracks by a large, musclebound monster with purple eyes, black fur covering its body and red striped running down its stomach. The creature didn't look much too happy to see Eclipsa.

"Be gone Helecian" the beast yelled as he stared downwards at Eclipsa in a threatening manner. "You're kind are not welcome here, take yourself away before you get hurt". Eclipsa stood tall against the beast and looked up into its eyes.

Placing the royal magic wand by her side and leaning on it as a cane, she spoke eliquently to the gate guardian "I mean your tribe no harm sir, I am Eclipsa of Mewni and I seek an audience with your leader if you please".

The monster at the gate was stunned, he'd never encountered anyone who wanted to willingly speak with his king, much less a girl from, what was it the stranger said? Mewni? The creature had never heard of such a place. But it didn't matter much, she wouldn't last 5 seconds in front of the king, so the monster shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly "Eh, Your funeral I guess" and gestured for her to follow him into the village.

Eclipsa followed the monster through the village, earning many stares from dumbfounded monsters as she strolled past, towards a large hut that stood at the village centre, it towered over the landscape and Eclipsa wondered as to why it was so massive.

She didn't have to wonder for long though, as when she stepped through the doorway she was greeted by a giant of a monster. His skin was a deep red with red stripes running down his sides and arms which looked almost like the scrapes of claws. His mouth was filled with large, razer sharp teeth and he possesed two horns atop his head, just in front of a mane of white hair, some of which was tied into a small bun atop his head.

As Eclipsa approached, the creatures 4 yellow eyes all focused in on her and he leaned forward on his throne made from whole oak trees that had been clumsily strapped together, causing the whole thing to creak awkwardly under his collossal weight. As Eclipsa came to a halt in front of the throne, he stared down at her with curiosity, he'd never had a Helacian come this close to him willingly before it was unusual for definate.

Eclipsa interrupted the monsters curious glare, "So are you going to just stare at me all day, because that's not really what I came here for" she said to the beast who drew back a little in surprise. Not even monsters dared to speak to him like that, who exaclty was this girl anyway?.

"I, Globgor, King of Monster, Who you?" He growled, speech was never his strong suit but he could communicate well enough amongst monsters, not like he needed to say much anyway as his sheer imposing size and strength usually spoke for him.

Eclipsa was unfazed by the giant and simply cleared her throat before speaking. "Well your majesty, my name is Eclipsa Butterfly, I am the Queen of Mewni, its a pleasure to meet you" she said eloquently as she lightly curtsied towards him.

Globgor's expression was of pure confusion by this point, never had anyone curtsied towards him or spoken to him in such a formal tone. Most monsters just grunted whatever they needed to say and their sign of respect was to keep their heads down in order to show subordination. She did none of these things. Mewni? Just what the hell was that? He'd never heard of a Mewni in his life.

"Mewmew?" he asked confused "Never heard of a Mewmew before, Why you come here?" he raised one of his eyebrows as he asked this, more and more curious about this girl who stood before him.

To Globgor's surprise Eclipsa giggled lightly and replied "It's actually Mewni, and its unsurprising you've never heard of it, its not exactly nearby" she then turned serious for a moment "I've come to ask for your help with an enemy of mine, Prince Helvete of Helios". There were a few gasps around the room and the murmurs of monsters about Helios and Helvete upon hearing the name.

"Helios not bad place, King Fornax, Him good man" Globgor replied before his voice suddenly turned dark and he took on a serious tone of his own "But Helvete, him very bad, him kill many monster brothers, him reason we no go back to old monster home, him why we live in mud village" he said this last part with sadness in his voice as he looked around his hut at it's decaying walls and crumpling ceilings as it was slowly being reclaimed by the forest around it.

Eclipsa, with a sympathetic look on her face, patted Globgors ankle as that was the highest she could reach on the giant. "Oh you poor dears" she said sadly before looking up into the beast's eyes "He's planning on destroying my home too, I thought maybe if we work together we might be able to stop him, what do you think?" she said with a kind smile towards him.

If Globgors skin wasn't already deep red you'd be able to see him blush at this comment and the kindness displayed by Eclipsa towards him. Noone was ever kind to monsters, least of all Helacians, so it was very much welcome that this girl had shown him such niceties.

"What in it for Globgor and monster brothers?" He asked nervously, much to the surprise of the others around the room. None of them had ever seen their king so much as startled much less nervous at the prospect of anything.

Eclipsa pondered for a moment, "Well...What would you like?" she asked pleasently. It was now Globgor's turn to think, he thought hard and considered all he could. Eventually after a few minutes he had an excited look on his face and looked down towards Eclipsa.

"We come live in Mewmew, pretty queen let us live in Mewmew" he yelled happily, as he leaned towards Eclipsa once again causing his great throne to creak under his weight moved. Eclipsa was startled slightly at the suggestion as she stared wide-eyed at the happy face of the giant. There was something strangly cute about his innocent demeanor and happy expression.

"You want to come live in Mewni?" she asked a little berwildered "well I suppose that'd be okay, I'd have to convince the citizens but I'm sure it could be done, okay sure, you help me beat Helvete and I'll take you and your monsters to live in Mewni" she said happily as she extended a hand towards Globgor.

Globgor happily took the hand as gently as he could so as not to harm her and they shook on the deal. Then he lifted Eclipsa onto his massive shoulder and there she sat as he ordered his monsters to head to Helvete's settlement.

 **Outskirts of Helios-Helvete's Camp**

Staring into the village in the distance, it was fair to say Eclipsa was not impressed by the sight. She was still sat on Globgor's shoulder, sitting a fair distance above the ground. She turned to Globgor, or rather his head, with a skeptical look on her face. "This is Helios?" she asked doubtingly "It seems a little small to me, he made it sound much more impressive when he talks about it".

Globgor lightly shook his head so as to not to knock the Queen off balance, "No, No, This not Helios, Helios King Fornax home, Helvete argue with father, Fornax kick him out, him never sit on throne now, now him little brother take throne when Fornax die, Helvete took over village and now live here" Globgor said he used one of his eyes to look towards Eclipsa while the others continued scanning the village.

Eclipsa nodded and continued to look towards the village, "Anything we should be worried about over there?" she asked as she studied the defences. Globgor pointed towards a watchtower donned with large black flags with a red sun which stood on the outskirts with a small number of troops inside, the troops surrounded a ballista which sat atop the tower, already loaded and drawn ready to fire it's bolt towards any threat.

Eclipsa smiled lightly to herself and stood tall atop Globgor's shoulder "That should be no problem, get ready to charge the village, remember you're only attacking the soliders, no civilians are to be hurt okay?" she said towards Globgor.

Globgor nodded and looked towards the Queen, curious about what she was going to do. He watched in bafflement as she took out a parasol and pointed the spherical end of it towards the tower. The sphere glowed and small arks of purple lightning flashed from it as the Queens cheek marks glowed with a dark purple light.

"Winter solace" she said calmly and one of the arks of lightning increased in brightness and power before shooting towards the towers foundations. The foundations shattered as the beam hit, bringing the tower crashing to the ground with a massive cloud of smoke. Globgor saw the chance and yelled to his monsters "Charge!".

The monsters were upon the village in seconds, overwhelming the defenders within moments, causing many to drop their weapons in fear and flee for the nearby woods. A small group of monsters pursued them while the rest swept away those that remained. The monsters then hemmed the villagers, mostly women and children, into the town square before stopping their advance.

Eclipsa floated down towards a podium in front of the square and tapped her wand to the ground, sending out a small pulse of magical energy. It wasn't enough to do anyone any harm but it did silence the worried crowd and gained her their attention.

"Thank you for your attention, My name is Queen Eclipsa of Mewni, I have come here because your leader, Prince Helvete has made plans against my kingdom, my demands are simple; Forsake him and abandon this place to either come to serve myself or King Fornax of Helios" She spoke in a calm but serious tone so as to get her point across. She observed the scared and angry faces of the crowd and felt confusion at their continued silence towards her demands.

Eventually a shout started from one member of the crowd, then anouther and then tens, then in the hundreds as more and more people joined in the chant towards the Queen which left her utterly speechless at the sight.

"Praise Helios, Death to Mewni, Death to Fornax, Praise Helios!" The crowd chanted this over and over repeatedly as it got louder and louder with the additional voices joining the ensemble. Fear and surprise gripped Eclipsa as she viewed the crowd. Eventually one of the number threw somthing towards the podium.

This triggered a new reaction from the crowd, who joined this new defience against the Queen and her monsters, they began throwing everything they could towards the podium and the monsters surrounding. Unafraid, undaunted by the intimidating presence of the monsters and the defeat of their army, they continued the onslaught. One of the rocks struck Eclipsa and she fell to the podium.

Globgor watched on as this happened and suddnely let out a colossal roar which stunned the crowd, he stepped a massive foot between the crowd and Eclipsa and then smashed a hand into a house by the square, shattering the brickwork and scattering it across the square, hitting a few of the citizens, killing several immediately with the force.

Eclipsa looked up in shock, a small trickle of blood emerging from where she herself had been hit, she cried up to Globgor "Globgor, calm down I'm fine please!" as she watched the panic and terror in the villagers face.

Globgor couldn't hear Eclipsa over his rage and the sounds of violence, He struck another house and then slammed his foot into the crowd, crushing several and killing others with the force of the brickwork flying out from the house. Taking a deep breath his eyes suddenly glowed red and the other monsters fled from range, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

Fire engulfed the town as it spewed from Globgors mouth, many members of the crowd were caught in the blaze as they tried to flee from the monster. Globgor spotted a small group in the crowd made up of a small number of families, huddled together in fear and saying their last goodbyes in tears.

The monster took anouther deep breath, preparing to attack again, when suddenly Eclipsa appeared in front of him, her wand extended out towards him and a purple barrier surrounding her and the villagers. Globgor stopped in surprise and was taken aback at Eclipsa's next words.

"Stop!" She cried as thin trails of tears rolled down her cheeks "That's enough Globgor, theres no need for this slaughter, we're leaving now!". Globgor looked around him and saw the devestation his anger had caused, his eyes shimmered with sadness at his actions. He then felt a small hand pat his leg. Looking down he saw Eclipsa looking up towards him.

"It's okay, just...lets just go okay?" she said soothingly, "I'll take you to Mewni, I have somewhere you and the others can live okay?". Globgor nodded sadly and lifted the Queen gently onto his shoulder. The monsters and Eclipsa fled the burning reckage of the village into the woodland. Once there Eclipsa opened a large portal, and they followed her through it.

 **Eclipsa's Tower- Present Day**

Eclipsa's tears flowed down her cheeks and down onto her dress, they were an unstopable stream that came only from the most painful of memories. "I still regret that I couldn't stop him" she said quietly "Those people were brainwashed and horrible, but they didn't deserve that fate, I still love him dearly, but that day..I knew what could happen if I didn't maintain control".

Star's own eyes filled up and she ran over to Eclipsa to comfort her, "It's okay Eclipsa, you did nothing wrong, you couldn't have stopped it" she said to Eclipsa through both their tears. Marco sat across the room dumbfounded. After pondering a while he spoke up.

King Shastacan wrote that you exterminated Helios, and then sent Helvete back to the ruins before sealing off the dimension, and even Hekapoo said when she went back there was nothing left of that nation, so what happened?

Eclipsa wiped the tears from her face and sniffed, "I don't know, we only attacked the village that night, Helios was ruled by King Fornax who wasn't against me, we even recieved a report from a spy that told us Globgor's story was true and Helvete was acting on his own with a private army" she said sadly with a confused look on her face.

"This doesn't add up" Marco said to himself "Why did Hekapoo go back to only find ruins of Helios? Why doesn't she recognise this flag?" These questions plagued him as he considered his options.

Star interjected "We need to ask Hekapoo, she might be able to tell us what she found that day" she said as she walked back towards Marco. Marco nodded in reply "you're right Star, lets head to Hekapoo's, I wanna get to the bottom of this". He said, as they were about to leave they both turned back towards Eclipsa "You gonna be okay? Do you wanna come with us?" Star asked with concern present in her voice.

Eclipsa shook her head with a light smile on her face "I'm fine dears, I need to rest and, get back in touch with some old memories, I'll see you soon okay?" she said kindly. The couple nodded and cut a portal into the wall, before walking through.

 **A/N: Eclipsa and Globgor's first meeting, Village destruction ain't my Idea of a first date but each to their own eh? The mystery widens as to Helio's and Helvete's past and the reasons behind these attacks. Does Hekapoo have the answers? Who knows? Till next time guys :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- The Dominoes Fall

 **Ponyhead Kingdom-Early Morning**

Dawn broke above the pink-clouded landscape of the Ponyhead Kingdom. The clouds that formed the floor of this skyward realm twinkled and shone with the unobscured sunlight that bounced off of them. Most of the kingdom was waking up and going through their morning routines, the night guards were relieved from their duties and returned down from the walls to eat and get their own sleep.

In a tower bedroom in the Ponyhead castle, the current Heir to the throne Princess Lilacia Ponyhead was still awake, having never slept that night as per usual. She was once again binging on one of her Korean drama shows that she adored. Her eyes were affixed to the screen and any slight noise caused her to jitter with adjitation at the disturbance to her show.

All was going fine until she started to hear movement through the halls, accompanied by yells and shouts. She huffed in annoyance and shouted from her bed "Hey, Keep it down you're disturbing my show!". Usually she'd hear a reply to this statement that went something along the lines of "My apologies princess, we'll go somewhere else". However this time the noise was unaffected by her complaints.

The Princess once again groaned with annoyance and floated up from her bed, as she made her way to the door she suddenly heard a voice that stopped her. "What do you mean you don't recognize them!?" It was the voice of her father, King Ponyhead, and it sounded full of concern "We have records of every army and bandit in Mewni just how in the hell can this one be different!?" his voice came again, obviously being directed to one of the castle guards.

The Princess opened the door to be greeted by the face of her father as well as one of the tower guards that had been reporting to him. "Daddy, what's going on?" Ponhead asked curiously with a look of worry in her eyes, she'd never seen her father this stressed out before.

King Ponyhead dismissed the guard and turned to face his daughter "Oh nothing pumpkin, everything's fine" He lied as he tried to keep up a fake expression of calm. It didn't work very well and Ponyhead could see right through his poor effort.

She huffed and looked at her father with an annoyed expression on her face as she spoke "Daddy you're not a very good liar, now tell me the truth" She said this in a whiny sort of tone, much like a child who was begging a parent for a toy during a shopping trip. King Ponyhead sighed loudly, he didn't expect to get away from it that easily, all of his daughters were very good at seeing through him, much to his dismay.

"Okay pumpkin, you win" he sighed as he hung his head slightly lower with defeat "There's an army camped outside the castle some ways off, we don't recognize their flags and we don't know what they want, we've sent a messenger and we're waiting for a response" He said with deep concern in his voice.

Ponyhead surged some magic through her horn, creating a purple spiral up through it and showing she was ready to fight "Let me deal with them daddy, they're interrupting my show and I will not be watching re-runs here!" she yelled with the tone of a spoiled child.

King Ponyhead countered however "No!" He commanded, causing Ponyhead to back down and cease the magic in her horn. She drew back a little, her father rarely spoke to her as commanding as that "I'm sorry pumpkin but I won't risk my little girl in a fight, much less with someone we know nothing about" He said as he lowered his tone and tried to be soothing in his words.

Princess Ponyhead attempted to protest but was met with no give from her father "Please pumpkin, just go back into your room, I'm sure this'll all be done soon enough anyway" her father said in a caring tone. Ponyhead huffed slightly but she obeyed and closed the door behind her.

King Ponyhead sighed exhaustedly "An army at the gates or dealing with my daughters, I don't know which is worse some days" he muttered to himself as a guard approached him, a panicked and fearful look in his eyes.

"You're majesty, anouther force has appeared next to the unknown army, its bad my liege, it's really really bad!" The guard shouted as his panic-stricken eyes looked up towards his king.

The King attempted to calm his soldier and spoke as calmly as he could manage under the circumstances."Whoa now son, please calm yourself, now tell me do we at least recognize the other force?". The guard nodded lightly but the look of fear and concern never left his eyes. "Well then speak up man, who are we facing here!?" The king demanded as he looked down upon the soldier.

The solider stuttered as he spoke but finally his terrified voice broke through to utter a single clear sentence to his king. "I...It's The Lucitors your Majesty".

 **Hekapoo's Dimension**

Star and Marco stepped through the portal into Hekapoo's castle. A mighty space it was, with a pool of lava in it's centre illuminating the place and several workstations geared towards manufacture of different sections of dimensional scissors. On the wall was a strange looking map with thousands of interconnected circles and names which was incomprehensible to the couple. Above it were simply the words "Dimensional Map" and Marco noted a scorch mark on one of the circles, he could still barely make out the writing under the mark "Helios".

In the far corner of the room, at one of the workstations, stood a hard at work Hekapoo who was clearly constructing a new pair of scissors, although the couple couldn't see them for her standing in the way of their view. Hekapoo turned her head to look behind her and gasped at the sight of the couple. She quickly threw a covering over her work and turned to face the pair with a nervous expression.

"Hey guys, what are you doing showing up all unannounced and stuff" Hekapoo was not used to being caught off guard and was quite bad at pretending that she hadn't just hidden her work from the couple. Star and Marco looked at her skeptically. Eventually Star broke the silence.

"ERM Hekapoo, what's that ya got there?" she asked as her eyes narrowed towards the workstation. Hekapoo nervously laughed and scratched the back of her head "Oh yknow just a boring old set of dimensional scissors for one of the knights, nothing important, you'd be bored by them to be honest" She spoke unusually fast and with a nervous tone to her voice as it was clear she was trying to hide her work form the couple.

"Then why're you so nervous?" Star asked before a sly smile formed across her face "Is it for a special someone?" She teased as Hekapoo became more uncomfortable with the line of questioning. Hekapoo blushed lightly and shook her head as her flame brightened "No, no, no" she protested, drawing a giggle from the couple. Hekapoo then sighed and said defeated "If you must know its a surprise for you two, but its not done yet so you can't see, you happy now?".

Star and Marco looked stunned at first at the admission but then Star's eyes twinkled as she put her hands to her cheeks. "Awh Hekapoo, that's so sweet" she said happily, drawing another light blush from Hekapoo at the embarrassment of the situation. She then shook the blush away and turned a little more serious.

"Okay that's all well and good but seriously what are you here for, this wasn't just a flying visit to see what I was doing was it?" she asked before pointing at Marco "And aren't you supposed to be investigating the attack on the Rich Pigeon Kingdom!?" she accused as Marco drew back slightly.

Marco composed himself and spoke calmly "That's precisely what we're here for, we need to ask you about something". Hekapoo was taken back, she looked a tad offended "Okay I know the kingdom was burned down but you're not about to say I did it are you!?" she said a little angry at the pair.

Marco threw his hands up and attempted to calm Hekapoo "No, that's not what we're doing" he said before he pulled out the scrap with the flag design on it "I came to ask if you recognize this?" he said as he handed the scrap to Hekapoo. Hekapoo studied the flag for a second before saying "Yeah, its the scrap the solider gave you at the wreckage of the Rich Pigeon Kingdom, what of it?" she asked Marco skeptically.

Marco shook his head at the response "No I mean do you recognize the design, we found out whose flag it is but by rights if it really is who we think then you should recognize the flag" he said as he pushed the flagscrap back towards Hekapoo.

Hekapoo studied the scrap closer and then gasped slightly before responding fearfully "This is the flag of the monster tribe Eclipsa's husband was the head of". Star and Marco looked at each other questioningly "Are you sure?" asked Star.

Hekapoo nodded with concern in her eyes. "I'm positive Star, He never used it while the tribe lived in Mewni, but when I re-opened the lost connection to the Helios Dimension I found the ruins of the kingdom" her eyes welled up as she spoke "The kingdom was broken and scattered, houses and her famous blacksmiths and factories burned to nothing, and the castle and royal family were slaughtered, the only evidence I found of the cuplrit was in the centre of the town square, draped over a statue of the King at the time, King Fornax, was this flag" She looked up towards the couple with seriousness in her eyes, a hate and an anger that they had never seen before "Eclipsa even admitted during the trial that she'd attacked Helios, there was no other possibility, it had to have been Globgor".

Marco and Star were stunned at Hekapoo's words but nodded "Thank you Hekapoo, you've been a big help, we'll start tracking down the culprit" Marco said, they turned to walk away but Hekapoo called out to them "If you find him, don't show any mercy, he isn't called Globgor the Merciless for nothing you know!" she cried out. Marco turned and nodded before the couple stepped through the portal back into his office.

Marco's Office-Butterfly Castle

Star and Marco emerged from the Portal, as it closed behind them Star asked quietly "So just who did it?" Marco turned to face the girl as she continued "Eclipsa says it was Helvete's flag, Hekapoo says it was Globgor's and King Shastacan says it was Helios', I'm confused Marco". Marco nodded and said with a sigh "You and me both Star, but the common link is the Helios dimension, seems we'll have to go there and investigate" he said as he once again readied is dimensional scissors.

Just before Marco could cut the portal however, a messenger burst into the office. "Princess Star, Sir Marco thank Mewni you're here I have an urgent message from the Ponyhead Kingdom" yelled the messenger as he tried to catch his breath. Marco tried to calm the man before asking "What do they want?".

The messenger, now having caught his breath, straightened himself up before saying worriedly "They request assistance Sir, they're under attack".

 **Ponyhead Kingdom-2 Hours Earlier**

General Kahchi looked through his binoculars at the Ponyhead Kingdom and scoffed "Well that scout wasn't joking, seems the defenders are panicked at our mere presence, however that wall is quite impressive I must say, clearly they must've had good leadership at one point" He muttered to himself as he was approached by another general in a different uniform being flanked by two guards.

Kahchi, without directing his gaze away from the binoculars, stated plainly "You're late". The other general gave a salute and bowed his head lightly towards Kahchi.

"My apologies Sir, it's been a while since we last mobilized our forces in any significant way, we are not as efficient in the ways of warfare as Helios" he said apologetically as Kahchi lowered his binoculars and turned to face him.

"Well, at least tell me what I call you, seeing as how our states are due to work together it only seems fitting I know who my partner is in all of this" he spoke as he eyed the general up and down, clearly inspecting his uniform and looking less than impressed at the state of it.

"Sir, My name is General Jeong of the Lucitor Imperial Army, I have been assigned to assist you in the occupation of the Ponyhead Kingdom" he said proudly with yet another salute. Kahchi tiredly returned the salute and said plainly "I didn't need your life story General, only your title".

Kahchi opened up a map on a table set up in front of him and directed Jeong to look down towards it. Upon the map was the battle plan for the capture of the Ponyhead Kingdom with lines, division names and timings written across it. It was complex at first glance to say the least.

"Right" Kahchi began "Your armies are to provide support for the main push, they are to flank the kingdom and head towards the guard barracks over here" he pointed to a spot on the map to which Jeong nodded "You are also to cut off the rear avenue of escape by positioning your forces on a line from the captured barracks to the central farmlands here" he spoke as he pointed out another building on the map towards the rear of the Ponyhead kingdom.

Once again Jeong nodded at the plan before turning to see the serious face of Kahchi who spoke in a deadly tone towards the general "Now this is important, not a single soldier, royal or citizen must be allowed to flee, we still require the element of surprise here and if Mewni's forces arrive here we will be in for a much harder fight understood?". The general nodded, slightly fearful of the man stood before him.

"Good, I like it when men understand their orders first time" said Kahchi with a half-smile, "Our artillery will shatter their walls and break their will to fight before we engage properly so this should be a simple, by the numbers, fight as far as we're concerned" He said with his half-smile turning into a devious grin.

The two generals then looked out towards their armies taking up positions on the cloud hills, they then noticed a Ponyhead soldier, unarmed rushing forward to meet them. "A messenger, perhaps they seek terms?" Jeong said as he eyed the messenger.

"That seems to be the case yes" said Kahchi as he raised his hand and extended a finger towards the messenger. "Unfortunately for him, my government isn't willing to listen to terms" he said as a condensed beam of fire shot towards the messenger, killing the Ponyhead soldier instantly. Jeong looked slightly shocked at the action, turning towards Kahchi "He was unarmed, what was the point in that!?" he demanded appalled at the action.

Footsteps were heard behind the two and a voice called out "You can't be sympathetic towards your enemy in times of war general, I certainly wasn't shown any by Mewni". The men turned and Emperor Helvete was stood behind them. Both generals saluted and Kahchi enquired "Your imperial majesty, I was under the impression you wouldn't come today".

Helvete turned to his general and returned the salute before speaking. "I wanted to see our new weapons in action, our engineers worked so hard on them after all" he said plainly before looking towards the Ponyhead Kingdom "Not to mention that I have a strange feeling about this battle, King Ponyhead is a powerful magic user and may be able to make contact with Mewni, I want to be here in case a chance for a decent challenge presents itself" he said smiling devilishly from ear to ear.

"Now then General, Kindly give the order" he spoke calmly as Kahchi nodded.

"Yes my Liege" Kahchi spoke before turning towards his artillery commanders, he cleared his throat and then shouted a single word "Fire!".

 **A/N: So begins the battle for the Ponyhead Kingdom. Just a small note here, I go back to my job today and wrote this on the train there. Hence chapter creation might become a bit more spaced out due to free time, but not to worry I shall update as much as I can. Until next time guys :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8-The Battle for the Ponyhead Kingdom Part 1**

 **Ponyhead Kingdom**

The guns pounded as their shells sailed through the air towards the great walls of the Ponyhead kingdom, the defenders screamed in fear and pain as the shells hit home, shattering the walls with each impact. Groups of defenders were thrown from the walls by the blasts, others were killed by the shrapnel and debris of the wall as it shot out in all directions.

From his position on the hill, Helvete looked on with a grin. He turned towards Kahchi and remarked "Well general, using your expert opinion, what do you think? Have our engineers earned their paychecks?". The general turned towards his emperor with an approving smile.

"If I may your majesty, I feel that they haven't been paid enough, this invention is worth an entire army on its own, the amount of men I could've lost trying to take those walls would've shocked you" He remarked casually as he turned back to watch the slaughter unfold.

Helvete chuckled at the comment and replied "Yes, I'd say you were correct, but this is only the tip of the Iceberg, you're going to love what we have planned for the Mewnian invasion" he said before chuckling again and continuing to observe the battle.

Inside the walls of his castle, King Ponyhead looked upon the battle with a deep seeded fear in his eyes. Never before had he seen anything like this. Even the most powerful magic of the Lucitors had never done this much damage to his walls, and whatever these machines were they were melting through them with ease. He ran to each of his daughters rooms, he found no trace of any of them until he got to the room of his Heir.

There he found all the Ponyhead sisters arguing about what to do among cries of fear, anger and sorrow. He floated before his daughters and, as best as he could without showing fear or panic, commanded down to them "My daughters you've got to get out of here!" He yelled, as he grabbed the only set of dimensional scissors the royal family had, the rest had been confiscated due to Princess Ponyhead's misuse of them.

He handed the scissors to Princess Ponyhead and commanded urgently "Go to Mewni, You have to get them to come help us, we won't survive this fight if you don't". Ponyhead looked on with tears forming in her eyes "I can't leave you daddy, I won't leave you to die!" she yelled. But King Ponyhead was having none of it this time.

"Damn it for once in your life do as I say!" he yelled, causing all the Ponyhead sisters to wince backwards at the noise, none more so than Ponyhead herself. As she sobbed lightly she managed an upset "Yes daddy...I'll do it" before she cut open the portal and she and her sisters floated through it.

King Ponyhead sighed and left the room, floating to the gate he rallied his troops together and they left the safety of the walls to attempt a charge on the opposing force.

 **Butterfly Castle**

Ponyhead burst into the castle, tears still streaming from her eyes, floating towards one of the guards she yelled "I need to speak to Star and Earth-turd now!". The guard fearfully attempted to ask what was so important but Ponyhead didn't listen to him and continued to demand to see Star and Marco.

One of the guards eventually agreed to go and find the pair before Ponyhead hurt somebody, he ran through the castle searching every room, from the great hall all the way to the bathrooms. Eventually he came across Marco's office and burst through the door to be greeted by a surprised looking Star and Marco.

The guard was gasping for air by this point but through struggling for breath he spoke "Princess Star, Sir Marco I have an urgent message from the Ponyhead Kingdom".

Marco looked sceptically at the guard while Star looked concerned and quickly spoke "What do they want?", the guard was still fighting for his breath at this point and Marco gave him a glass of water to help him along.

"Thank you sir" said the guard as he practically inhaled the water "Princess Ponyhead and her sisters are in the Main lobby, they demand to see you, apparently the kingdom is under attack!" the guard said with urgency.

Marco and Star's eyes went wide at the comment and a moment passed where they didn't respond before they charged past the guard towards the main lobby. Marco on the way gathered as many knights as he could, commanding them to ready up for battle and meet him in the main lobby. The castle quickly became a scene of chaos as squires and knights rushed about attempting to ready themselves for war.

Marco and Star eventually came to the front lobby where Star cried out "Pony!?". To which Ponyhead rushed towards Star and buried herself in her arms "Girl, I'm so happy I finally got to you!" she then looked towards Marco and looked down, clearly embarrassed about what she was about to say "And yes, even you Earth-turd" she said quietly as Marco nodded towards her.

Star broke the awkwardness "Pony what's happened?" she asked concerned and slightly panicked at how Ponyhead was acting. Ponyhead's tears began again as she sobbed towards Star.

"Oh girl its horrible, The castle is being attacked and daddy sent us away so he could fight them, the noise is louder than anything I've ever heard and the Lucitors have joined up with someone we've never seen before" Ponyhead sobbed as she spoke these words but the last part threw Star and Marco and stunned them for a second.

Marco turned from his knights he'd assembled "Wait...did You say the Lucitors?" he asked, confused at what Ponyhead was implying.

Ponyhead responded angrily to this "Yes Earth-turd, the Lucitors, you know? Demons? Live in the underworld? Hate the Ponyheads and are now attacking us? Ring any bells Earth-turd?". Star prodded Ponyhead lightly.

"Marco's only trying to help Ponyhead, please try to be nice to him for once?" She asked kindly. Ponyhead groaned and turned to Star. "I'm sorry girl, I'll try but he's just so dumb sometimes, I still don't know what you see in him" she said in an annoyed tone.

"Gee thanks" Replied Marco sarcastically, before continuing his line of questioning. "Now then, you said the Lucitors are attacking you along with somebody else, do you know who it was?" he asked as calmly as he could. Marco always prayed for patience when dealing with Ponyhead.

Ponyhead sniffed and shook her head, "No, we didn't recognise their uniforms or flags, not to mention they had weapons we've never seen anything like" she said sadly. Marco pondered this "What did the flags look like and what kind of weapons?" he asked.

Ponyhead was losing patience but kept her cool for Star's sake "The flags were black and red that's all I could tell from the distance, and the weapons were..." Ponyhead stopped and struggled to describe the weapons she had seen.

"They sorta, make a loud boom!" she said trying to describe as best she could "And then these big bits of metal hit the wall and shatter it, they can do it pretty quick too" she said as she once again sniffed, trying to stop her tears.

Marco went wide eyed "The flags sound a lot like this one" he said holding up the flag scrap he'd been carrying "As for the weapons, they kinda sound like cannons to me, but since when do Mewmans know how to make cannons?" He asked himself. Star interjected "Marco what's a cannon?" she asked curiously.

Well that made it clear that Mewman's didn't possess this kind of technology, turning to Star he said "Well they're weapons that we made on Earth hundreds of years ago, they use gunpowder to shoot metal shells long distances to destroy things, but they've long since been surpassed as far as technology goes on Earth so this can't possibly be an Earth army" he said as he scratched his chin trying to think of a plan.

Ponyhead lost it now "Well what the hell are we sitting here talking for Earth-turd!" she yelled as tears once again bubbled to the surface "If you know what they are, get the army and come help us!". Marco nodded and quickly gathered his troops together, out of the castle guards and the few knights that were close enough to respond quickly he could only muster around 300 troops. It was better than nothing though and he opened a portal to let his men through to the Ponyhead Kingdom, with Star and Princess Ponyhead following him through.

 **Ponyhead Kingdom-Front Lines**

The landscape was now filled with impact craters and bodies strewn about in various conditions. Most had suffered a quick death, for others it was long and painful with them breathing their last as shrapnel and burns covered their bodies. The walls of the Ponyhead Kingdom had been torn down by the pounding of the guns.

The guns didn't stop however, now they struck sections of the city while the armies did battle with King Ponyhead and his valiant charge from the gate. The fighting was fierce on both sides, with the Helios and Lucitor forces making early gains using their combined fire magic. But the Ponyheads were proficient at shield spells and energy blasts, which while they had not been at war for a long time, their soldiers had practiced many a time to co-ordinate. Meaning they could hold their line with limited success.

However the Ponyhead's numbers were dwindling, the Lucitor armies could call infinitely many more souls from the underworld to fight in the battle. Whereas the Helios forces were well trained and took minimal casualties during the fighting and when casualties were taken it only increased their anger and drive to fight harder.

General Kahchi and Emperor Helvete looked down from the hill where the artillery was stationed, the mighty guns still smashing the city blocks down to atoms. Kahchi turned to the Emperor. "My liege, it seems King Ponyhead's forces are stronger than we gave them credit for, it seems they do have the ability to hold the line even if their walls have crumbled before them, however they have taken extreme casualties. I feel if we were to focus fire on King Ponyhead and kill him, it would be the killing blow to their morale" He suggested towards the emperor.

Helvete nodded thoughtfully and replied "Yes I agree general, killing that bastard would certainly cripple the enemy forces, however to be overpowered and killed by unfeeling machines such as artillery is no way for a king to die" Helvete began to stroll towards the battlefield with a grin on his face, the marks on his cheeks glowing lightly as he summoned his powers to him. "No general, a king must die in a true contest of power, so let us see which dynasty is superior shall we?". The general smiled as he watched his emperor walk towards the front lines, he already knew the answer to that question.

Helvete chuckled as he approached the front lines, truly relishing in the moment as he began to summon his powers to him. His cheekmarks, which matched the sun design on his flag, began to glow a dark red. His irises changed into a deep red to match his cheeks and glowed lightly as wisps of flame and embers began to flow gently around him during his approach.

King Ponyhead looked up towards the hillside to be greeted by Helvete's approaching form. His eyes went wide as he noted the power Helvete was beginning to show, not to mention the expression on his face was one of bliss matched with sinister intent. King Ponyhead shouted to his troops "Hold the line, that one on the hill is my fight!". He then began to charge magical energy into his great horn and approached the blank section of the field to meet his challenge.

"I presume I have the honour of greeting the current monarch of the Ponyhead Kingdom?" Helvete spoke with a formal tone towards his adversary, the look in his eye seeing through deep into King Ponyhead's very soul. King Ponyhead only nodded in acknowledgement of this fact, at which Helvete's grin only grew across his face.

He bowed lightly at the waste with an arrogance that disgusted King Ponyhead as he watched. Once he'd raised himself again he began to speak, all the time staring down his opponent with a sly grin on his face.

"Well then, you must of course wish to know your opponent before we seal your kingdom's fate?" he asked as he directed a hand outwards, beckoning King Ponyhead for a response. King Ponyhead only nodded again, becoming more agitated as time went by. "You know there was a time when the kings of your nations once spoke up more, although that being said, they weren't this weak either so I suppose a great many things have changed since those days".

This comment grated on King Ponyhead who bellowed "I have no time for delays when you're murdering my people, now get on with it so I can bury you on this battlefield!". Helvete's smile once again deepened and he summoned a small ball of fire to his palm.

"Well, since you're so eager to meet your death I'll keep this short, I am Emperor Helvete, High sovereign of Helios, We have come with the Lucitors in order to settle old scores and as the sunlight cuts through the darkness so shall we leave Mewni and her allies in ruins under our bootheels" He spoke gracefully before his expression changed to a concentrated seriousness and he launched the fireball towards King Ponyhead.

 **Ponyhead Kingdom-Ponyhead Castle**

Marco, Star and Ponyhead, along with around 150 hastily gathered Mewnian knights emerged from the portal into the central courtyard of Ponyhead castle. The scene before them was one of complete chaos and despair. The walls surrounding the courtyard were barely standing, a good portion of the defenders were wounded and in various positions across the courtyard itself. Medics were rushing between pockets of troops, it was amazing for Marco to see how calm they remained despite the carnage around them and the relentless pounding of the guns on the walls around them.

Marco looked towards the hillside where the artillery was positioned and was astounded at the sight that lay before him. The hill was littered with troops, easily in the thousands, along with the constant flashes of light that ran up and down the hill as the guns continued the barrage of the city. Marco was brought back from his study of the enemy by a cry wailing above all the others in the castle.

"Daddy, what are you doing!?". Marco wheeled around to see Princess Ponyhead being held back by Star from charing out of the castle, as he redirected his gaze towards the field he saw King Ponyhead in a fierce magical battle with a man Marco had never seen before. It was clear at a glance that King Ponyhead was at a disadvantage, only able to stop the continues attacks pummelling him by holding up a shield spell using his horn. It was clear however the effort was taking its toll.

Marco looked towards Star. "Star we have to help King Ponyhead, lets go!" he yelled, Star nodded and released Princess ponyhead who charged towards the field on her own. Marco turned to his Knights and spoke clearly "That army doesn't take this castle understood? We have to hold them off by any means necessary" The Knights responded with a resounding "Yes sir!". Marco turned to one of the nearby knights. "You're to take charge while I assist King Ponyhead, Sir Raleigh, Understood!?" He ordered, the Knight simply saluted Marco and stated "Yes sir, good hunting!".

Marco and Star nodded to each other and charged out towards King Ponyhead's Position.

 **Ponyhead Kingdom-Front Lines**

Helvete smirked as he continued his relentless blasts towards King Ponyhead's shield, his blasts now just coming from a single, outstretched finger which launched mutliple deep red beams that exploded on impact with the shield spell. Cracks in the shield were appearing rapidly and Helvete could see that this was only a matter of time.

"Well, my good King" He began with a confident smirk "It seems our time together is due to end soon, you lasted a lot longer than that pathetic knight I'll give you that, however you cannot keep that shield up forever and as such, you'll soon cease to be in my way". Helvete used his free hand to summon a small ball of fire, resembling the sun itself.

He smiled as he watched the power in the palm of his hand, the sun stayed in the centre of his palm as he directed it towards the shield of King Ponyhead. "Well this should about do it, farewell King Ponyhead" he said before launching a colossal beam of bright red flames towards the King.

As Star and Marco approached they saw the shield shatter and the man King Ponyhead was fighting suddenly surged forwards. With a single, quick movement he ripped the horn from the top of King Ponyhead's head and held it in his hand as he landed behind the King. King Ponyhead dropped to the floor and ceased moving, much to the horror of Marco and Star but especially to Princess Ponyhead who rushed towards her fallen father as fast as she could.

Marco and Star continued to run towards King Ponyhead's assailant however they were suddenly stopped when the figure looked up towards them with a piercing and powerful stare. They could feel the energy of his power surging around them making the air feel hot and as heavy as steel. It stopped them in their tracks as they looked back with fear in their faces.

The figure stood and twirled the horn in his hands with a look of confidence and pure sadistic pleasure on his face "So..." He began before crushing the horn and scattering its pieces before him with a single hand. "Who's going to play with me next?".

 **A/N: The battle of the Ponyhead Kingdom begins, with their King down can the kingdom defeat the forces of Helvete and the Lucitors? And what will Star and Marco make of their new opponent? Until next time guys :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9-The Battle for the Ponyhead Kingdom Part 2**

 **Ponyhead Kingdom**

Helvete's glare and overwhelming power had the couple before him affixed to their positions. Star and Marco were looking at him with a state of total fear plastered on their faces, and he relished in every second of that look. He couldn't explain it, but there was an incredible feeling of pleasure that surged through him when he sensed true fear in his opponents, it made him enjoy these fights even more than usual.

He glanced towards the royal magic wand currently gripped in Star's right hand. Then returning his gaze into Star's eyes, staring directly through them and into her very soul he began to speak with a confident and sinister tone "Well, that's an unexpected pleasure, that wand you posses marks you as a member of the butterfly family, and from looks I'd guess that you are the current heir if not the queen herself, am I correct my dear?" A sickening grin found its way to his lips as he gestured a hand forward, beckoning Star to answer his question.

It was Marco however who found his voice all of a sudden. "Don't speak to her you creep!" He yelled with a seething anger in his voice at what he'd witnessed. Helvete turned his gaze now towards Marco, eyeing the knight up and down with an unimpressed look on his face.

"I'll assume you're her bodyguard or something right?" He said casually, obviously not seeing Marco as much of a challenge. "Well, whoever you are, you should learn to hold your tongue when two royals are speaking" He then formed his magic into a thin, short blade which outstretched a small distance from his fingers, holding it up he uttered in a threatening tone.

"Otherwise, I'll be forced to cut it from your mouth, is that clear peasant?". Marco drew back at the threat, Helvete's glare and power was the most intimidating force he'd ever seen. Marco could tell this was not a man who could be as easily beaten as someone like Ludo or even Tom. He was in another league entirely.

Helvete then directed his gaze back towards Star and spoke once again with a sincere, if not slightly sinister tone. "So my dear, if you won't be kind enough to grant me the title of your personage, then allow me to take the lead" he bowed lightly at the waist but never stopped his stare into Star's eyes or his power surrounding him.

"My name is Prince Helvete" he uttered, drawing a gasp from both Star and Marco which Helvete found curious. "I take it from the reaction that my reputation has preceded me somewhat, thats not according to plan, as such I must enquire as to how you know of me?".

Star found her voice and tried her best to sound confident despite the fear and shock she felt inside after what she had just witnessed him do to King Ponyhead, who was still unmoving despite Ponyhead's best efforts at attempting to save her father. "You're the old prince of Helios that Eclipsa fought against? But if that's correct you should be over 300 years old by now?" Star said as she tried her best to show defiance against Helvete's power.

Helvete chuckled to himself. "Well, time works a little differently in my dimension compared to Mewni, I'm barely even out of my 20's, But my age is not the point here my flower" he said as he once again beckoned to Star to answer his question. "You know who I am, but I do not know you, so please, grant me your titles the both of you" He said before glancing at Marco, once again unimpressed "Yes that includes you peasant knight, I give you permission to speak".

Marco spoke first, disgusted by the attitude this murderer had shown to himself and Star. "I am Marco Diaz, Knight of Mewni and member of the Magical high commission" he announced proudly. However Helvete was not impressed, simply remarking in a sarcastic tone. "Oh joy, another knight, the magical high commission must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days huh?". Marco clenched his fists at the comment, he was more than ready to turn Helvete into a pulp but then Star spoke up.

"I'm Princess Star Butterfly of Mewni, I've come to stop you from killing my friends, and trust me, I'm gonna win this fight!" She declared before directing the wand at Helvete and yelling "Cataclysmic Total Extinction Death Blast!" as the wand glowed. The beam of orange light that travelled from the wand to Helvete sparked and hissed as it shot towards him.

Helvete faced his palm forward and caught the blast, he smiled as he did so, holding off the blast with his palm he began to walk forward while calmly talking. "Well my fair Princess Star, it seems the Butterfly family is still full of magic users" He then stopped before his eyes glowed for a second and a small ball of fire broke its way through Star's beam and rested in Helvete's palm. "However, it seems you're not going to be much of a challenge after all" he said before launching the ball towards Star.

Marco reacted instinctively and directed a finger towards Helvete's attack. "Bultina" He yelled, firing a small red beam from his finger which hit home onto the ball of fire Helvete had launched, re-directing it into one of the guns on the nearby hill, destroying it easily.

Helvete looked at Marco with a look of anger plastered on his face. "You're going to regret getting in the way boy!" he shouted before charging at Marco and landing a punch to his gut, causing Marco to double over in pain. As he did so, Helvete landed an axe kick to the back of Marco's head which sent him sprawling to the ground, unconscious.

Star gasped, and began firing multiple blasts towards Helvete, each of which he expertly dodged or blocked while smiling sadistically. Helvete was clearly enjoying himself which only angered Star more and made her blasts more intense as she surged towards him. Eventually after a short while of dodging Helvete shot forwards with incredible speed and blasted Star from point-blank range, causing her to land several feet away in a daze.

He casually began to stroll towards her, charging a small ball of power in his palm. As he got within a few feet he directed the ball at Star, who was struggling to look up at him. "Well my dear Princess, I did hope this would be more of a challenge but alas it seems our time together has ended" He then smirked as he added "Don't worry, I'll send your boyfriend along momentarily".

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a beam of black magic smashed into Helvete, causing him to fly backwards. He landed on his feet but clearly the blast had hurt. He looked up to find the source of the blast. Star also looked for the source, amazed that her life had been saved.

"Star" A voice came from behind her "Get Marco out of here, he's in a bad shape". Star struggled to her feet and turned to face the source of the voice, only to see Eclipsa ,with staff in hand, floating lightly above the ground. Her cheeks were glowing a dark purple and her expression was one of dead seriousness.

"Eclipsa!" Star yelled surprised "I can't leave you to deal with this!". Eclipsa shook her head "I caused this Star, I'm the one who'll fight this lunatic, its been a long time coming anyway" she said as she fired another blast towards Helvete who summoned a shield to block the attack.

"Now go Star, Marco needs help, please do as I say, for him?" She pleaded as she directed Star to Marco's unconscious body. Star looked towards the boy, with concern on her face before nodding to Eclipsa and rushing over to his side. Star took Marco's dimensional scissors and cut a portal next to her. Giving a final look to Eclipsa, who simply nodded, she dragged Marco's limp form through the portal.

As the Portal closed, Eclipsa looked towards Helvete, who was simply smiling towards her with the same sadistic look that had frozen Star and Marco. "Well, well, well" He began "Isn't this a blast from the past, the years have been good to you Eclipsa, most people don't look half as good when they reach 320 years old" He mocked as he took a few steps closer to his opponent who was unmoved by his tone.

"How did you do it Helvete?" she asked "Your father disinherited you from taking the throne of Helios, so tell me how you've suddenly come back from the brink like this?" she demanded as she raised her staff to face him.

Helvete chuckled and spoke plainly "I overthrew my father and took the throne for myself of course, my oh so naive enemy, it isn't that hard to figure out". Eclipsa had a thought and it was one that brought images of horror to her mind. But she needed to know, just to know how far Helvete was willing to go in his lust for power.

"What of your brother? The young prince? What did you do with him Helvete?" she asked calmly, almost not wanting an answer.

Helvete's smile didn't fade, nor did any part of his posture or bearing waiver as he spoke "Well, you can't very well inherit a kingdom if the heir is still alive can you Eclipsa?" he spoke, much to Eclipsa's horror and anger. She coiled back her staff before speaking "Black Velvet Inferno".

A black beam shot from the staff with a trail of black butterflies caught inside of it, a disturbing and yet oddly beautiful sight, it travelled towards Helvete. However Helvete shot a large beam of fire magic at the attack. Both attacks exploded on impact as they cancelled each other out. Helvete began laughing "I've waited a long time for this you know Eclipsa, you'd better not disappoint me now" he said confidently.

Eclipsa only spoke as she raised her staff once more "Scarlet rain" She uttered, the staff launched dozens of deep red energy blasts into the sky. Helvete awaited patiently for the effects, and was soon greeted by thousands of small energy blasts slamming into him and the landscape surrounding him. Eclipsa stood back, but stayed on guard, confident that an attack like that wouldn't be enough to finish Helvete.

She was right, when the smoke cleared from the blasts, Helvete was stood unscathed under a shield spell he'd formed at the last minute. He then directed four of his fingers from his right hand towards Eclipsa, and thousands of rapid fire blasts shot out from the tips of his fingers in a constant barrage at his enemy.

Eclipsa threw up another shield but the blasts were hitting hard and fast and it was a struggle to keep the shield repaired. She had to think of something quick, so she directed her staff at Helvete once more and yelled "Obsidian storm". Shards of thick gemstone shot towards Helvete's spell and the two collided cancelling the effects of the other. The two spent some time locked in this clash before one of them made a more decisive move.

Helvete shot into the sky, positioning himself above Eclipsa's position. As Eclipsa looked up she saw five separate streams of flames shooting down from the sky. She covered her position with a shield spell which took the blasts as they rained down. But as the smoke cleared she saw Helvete standing before her shield, his arm extended with palm out towards her.

He grinned sadistically and a huge blast of fire ripped through her shield spell and shot her across the field into a heap. Eclipsa struggled to her feet, using her staff to prop her upright. Helvete was strolling towards her, one of his fingers extended, he fired a thin red blast into her leg, causing Eclipsa to take a knee.

"Well, I must admit that was a good warm up, but much like a child who peeks at his Christmas presents, it was sadly anti-climactic" Helvete said as he fired another shot into Eclipsa's arm, causing her to drop her staff as the pain seared through her flesh. She looked up through the tears of pain at Helvete's form getting closer. "It's a shame that husband of yours didn't turn up, his head would've made a superb trophy for my throne room" he said as he landed a kick to Eclipsa's gut, causing her to double over in pain, coughing blood onto the ground as she went.

"I'm not going to kill you, you know" Helvete said plainly, causing Eclipsa to look up in confusion. "I'm going to break you, and make you watch, as I burn your kingdom as you once burned mine...I Want you to watch as I kill everyone you have ever loved, just as you and your monster killed the only person I ever loved" He said as he produced a burned doll from a small pocket on his side.

Holding the doll aloft he allowed Eclipsa to see it, it was a small doll of a red-haired girl in a small sundress. It would've been pretty once, but now the sundress had faded and was half blackened with ash, half the doll had been burned away, revealing the stuffing inside to be singed and blackened.

"This was my daughters you know" Helvete said as he looked into Eclipsa's eyes with an emotionless stare. "When your monster rampaged in that village 300 years ago, or I guess it was only around 10 years for me, he dropped a building on her and my wife, my daughter survived that, only to have that demon burn her alive when he scorched the houses, I have nothing left to bury, and neither will you Eclipsa" Helvete then slammed a fist into Eclipsa's temple, causing her to fall limp onto the ground.

Pointing to two of his soldiers nearby he ordered "Bring her back to Helios and lock her up" the guards saluted and dragged Eclipsa off. Helvete turned back towards the Ponyhead Kingdom and watched as his armies overwhelmed the defenders, the Mewnian Knights had been beaten back and were now attempting to retreat with as many refugees as they could save. He grinned and said to himself "I'll avenge you my precious flower, these people will learn how this pain truly feels".

 **Butterfly Castle**

Star dragged Marco through the portal to find they were in his room in Butterfly castle, this would have to do for now. She dragged his limp form to the bed and layed him down on it, trying her hardest to be careful with him. She then checked him to find he was fortunately still breathing. Sighing with relief she spoke into his ear "Marco, wake up...please wake up Marco". He didn't respond, causing Star to start panicking, she yelled out into the halls "Someone get me a doctor now!" with desperation in her voice. A guard ran down the hall as fast as he could towards the physicians quarters.

Star returned to Marco's side and gently ran her fingers through his hair, as she did so she examined the damage Helvete had done to him. The back of his neck was a deep blue from the bruising and his stomach had a perfectly circular bruise from where Helvete had slammed his fist into Marco to cause him to double over in pain. Small tears came to her eyes as she saw Marco's battered form, running down her cheeks as she lightly sobbed.

A couple of stray tears landed on Marco's face, he twitched as they landed and groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Star smiled with joy as she saw Marco finally respond and yelled "Marco!" before cuddling herself into him. But drew back as she hear him hiss in pain from the hug. "Sorry, sorry I'm just...glad you're awake is all" she said shyly as he slowly and painfully sat upright.

"It's okay Star, but where is Helvete!?" He asked concerned as he looked about his room. Star placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and spoke soothingly "It's okay, the knights know what to do and Eclipsa is taking him on, she told me to bring you back here". Marco's eyes went wide with fear as Star said this.

"Star, Eclipsa won't be able to beat him, he's insanely strong, I've fought monsters and demons triple his size that didn't hit nearly as hard as that, and the worrying thing is I'm pretty sure he was holding back" He said, panic stricken as he fruitlessly attempted to get to his feet but Star stopped him.

"Marco stay down!" she said seriously "You're in no shape to fight him like that, please just, you need to recover..I can't lose you, so please just try to recover" she said as she lowered him down onto the bed again and placing a light kiss onto his lips.

As they parted Marco spoke lightly "Okay Star...but we've got to tell Queen Moon, have her fortify Mewni, just in case, please Star" Star nodded and stood up from the bed. "I'll go and tell mum, but you've got to promise to stay here okay? If you don't I won't forgive you!" she said with a serious tone towards her knight. He nodded and said calmly "Okay Star, for you I'll stay here, I promise". Star kissed Marco's forehead lightly and then strolled out of the door towards her mothers office.

 **Ponyhead Kingdom**

Helvete stood upon the balcony of the remains of Ponyhead Castle, overlooking the now shattered and broken square which formed the centre of the city. The remaining residents and surrendered forces were hemmed into the square by his and the Lucitor armies. The citizens and wounded soldiers now looked up to their conqueror.

"Citizens of the Ponyhead Kingdom, It is my pleasure to tell you that this battle has now concluded, your soldiers fought well and are commended for their loyalty and efforts and I ask that you do not think ill of them, their surrender to our forces was not cowardice, it is simply acceptance that victory was impossible" He spoke as he gestured towards the dotted groups of wounded and bitter soldiers of both Ponyhead and Mewman armies that had been stripped of their weapons and forced into chains by their captors.

"Do not think of us as dictators or conquerors please, I wish for you to think of us as your liberators!" He announced to some sceptical muttering from the crowd, but noone dared speak up against him "For too long this kingdom has been ruled by spoiled brats and weak monarchs who have dragged your once prestigious heritage into the dirt, we have come to strip those individuals of their ill-earned titles and make you once again part of something bigger than yourselves" At this small sections of the crowd muttered again but the reaction was more mixed between those who thought he was a tyrant and those who questioned what he was saying, that it made..sense?

"We have come to form you into our new nation and raise you into the grand power that you were destined to be, that all of Mewni was destined to be!" He declared raising his fist into the air "Once we have liberated Mewni from the oppressors that halt her progress into the bright future, we shall build that future together, and all shall live in harmony and true happiness, I swear this to you as your new King, now will you join me!?".

The armies of Helios and the Luctiors rallied into cries of "Praise Helios" and to the surprise of much of the crowd, some of the citizens of the Ponyhead Kingdom had joined in with this cry, the rallying cry echoed off the shattered walls of the kingdom again and again, growing louder and more intense with each cheer as the crowd was slowly changed by it's zeal.

Helvete could only smile to himself in a sinister grin, "This is where it begins" he said to himself as he turned to return to the castle "Soon I shall hear these cries from all of Mewni, and those who dared to steal away everything I had shall be burned in the flames of revenge".

 **A/N: So the Ponyhead Kingdom falls and Helvete sets his sights on Mewni, with Eclipsa imprisoned and Star and Marco unable to compete with Helvete during the battle, can anything stop this tyrant? Until next time guys :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- What we left buried**

 **Unknown Location**

A bucket of water splashed over Eclipsa, shocking her awake, she quickly jerked around trying to take in her surroundings. Something was keeping her tied down though, and the room around her was too dark to make out anything. The only thing she could tell was that it was cold, damp and whatever was keeping her there was painful.

She shook her arms trying to escape to hear the clashing of the chains against one another. Realising what was holding her she attempted to use her magic to break free, however no matter how hard she tried she couldn't produce anything. Eclipsa's mind panicked as she realised she had no way to defend or free herself, and even if she did she had no idea where she was, despite this she continued to struggle against her bonds.

"That won't help you" A voice came from the darkness,"Those chains are manufactured using draining crystals, as such the metal absorbs magical energy and becomes stronger the more you pump into it" Eclipsa stopped her struggle and looked forward into the darkness, she could barely make out a faint silhouette but couldn't tell anything about their features. She struggled to speak through the dryness in her throat and the pain in her stomach from her battle with Helvete.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she questioned, panicked and fear stricken as she saw the figure approach. The figure summoned a small flame to its palm and launched it at a small fire pit not far from Eclipsa, illuminating the room so she could now better see the face of her captor.

"You know the answer to both of those questions all too well Eclipsa" Helvete spoke as he dragged a chair in front of the fire pit and took a seat so that he could be at eye level with Eclipsa as she knelt.

Eclipsa scoffed at the comment "So what? You came to gloat or are you finally going to kill me?". Helvete looked at her, his expression unmoving. There was no anger, no pride, not even his sadistic smirk. There was simply nothing but a plain expression and a passionless stare into Eclipsa's eyes.

"I came to talk to you Eclipsa, we didn't get the chance for much conversation at the battlefield did we?" he said as he warmed his hands in the fire. Eclipsa could see he had come alone, the room was just bright enough to reveal it's true size, it was compact and dingy with a single door for entry that was forged from steel.

"I have nothing to talk to you about...you Monster" she uttered in an exhausted voice. She was defeated, that was bad enough, she didn't need this tyrant's conversation bringing her even further down.

"Odd choice of words for someone frozen for 300 years because she eloped with a monster" Helvete said as he drew slightly closer to catch Eclipsa's eye.

Eclipsa scoffed again in disgust "So what!?" she said with annoyance and anger present clearly in her voice "You gonna tell me you had a crush on me or something and that's why you're a heartless monster? At least my husband was a gentle creature!" she snapped at him, finally meeting his gaze in defiance.

Helvete lightly chuckled at Eclipsa's accusation "No, I'm just here because I want you to understand why this has to happen this way, and it certainly isn't for any pathetic reason like that" Helvete shuddered at the thought before continuing "Gentle creature? That word must have a different meaning in Mewni, because call me un-educated but I always assumed gentle creatures didn't burn down villages and murder innocents?" he asked sarcastically before taking up a disgusted look at Eclipsa and said callously "Even if ordered to by their masters".

This comment cut and Eclipsa used her remaining energy to yell "I didn't order Globgor to kill your family or burn your village!" she continued her defiant cry as Helvete stood from his chair calmly "I tried to stop hi..". Eclipsa was cut short as Helvete slapped her across the face, her cheek stung and throbbed with the pain of the unexpected hit.

"Silence!" Helvete ordered as he sat himself back into the chair "Don't give me that crap Eclipsa, when he destroyed that village you had no feelings and certainly no love for this creature, If you'd have truly wanted to stop him, you'd have destroyed him before he could harm the civilians".

Eclipsa had no response to this, but one wasn't needed as Helvete continued talking. "The truth is Eclipsa, You really are a queen of darkness as they call you, some part of you wants to believe you didn't want to bring harm to my people, but in all truth you allowed Globgor to slaughter them in droves" Helvete then looked down at Eclipsa and asked plainly "If you really care so much, then why don't you tell me how many died? did you even keep track?".

Eclipsa hadn't, she had no answer to give and sat with a look of deep regret and sadness on her face for that day. "I thought not" Helvete said, clearly disgusted with her lack of an answer "I realise why you attacked me you know, I'm not so lost that I think you did it for no reason".

"Yes" He continued as he sighed and laid back into his chair "I was going to seize the Butterfly Kingdom from you and King Shastacan" He then opened up a pouch on his uniform and took out the same small, half burned doll that he'd shown Eclipsa before. "I was young and had what was rightfully mine, my throne, taken by my father who preferred the son of the women who had replaced my mother" He held the doll tight "I wanted my daughter to have a better life than simply rotting like vermin in that pathetic village, and marrying a peasant boy out of desperation".

He then looked up to Eclipsa with an anger in his eyes "My invasion was to be bloodless then, even you would've been spared if you co-operated with my rule, but then you murdered everything I had with your demon, who if that wasn't bad enough, you made your lover" He spat towards her with a venom in his voice as he spoke down to her.

"I was, for a long time, disappointed when I assumed you'd lived to an old age and eventually died, It's both joyful and a cruel trick of fate that you lived this long" He then stood once more and gripped Eclipsa's chin, forcefully dragging her up to meet his gaze. "But now at the very least, you can experience the pain I feel as I slaughter those you love like the dogs they are, Starting with the Queen of Mewni and her beloved daughter, Star Butterfly". Helvete then threw Eclipsa back down to the ground, turned on a dime, and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him. Leaving Eclipsa to sob alone in the darkness.

 **Queen Moon's Office-Butterfly Castle**

Star knocked on the door of her mother's office, after a few seconds she heard the voice of Queen Moon utter "Come in!" impatiently. Star opened the door and was greeted by the worried face of her mother.

"Star!" she yelled, shocked to see her daughter "What are you doing here? The knights told me you and Marco went to assist the Ponyhead kingdom, are they safe?". Star shook her head and responded as tears began to form in her eyes.

"We were overpowered by the enemies king, he killed King Ponyhead and injured Marco, if it hadn't been for Eclipsa he'd have killed us both" she looked down as she tried to contain her tears. Moon looked increasingly worried and stood up from her desk asking in a worried tone "Where is Eclipsa now!?". Star simply shook her head without looking up towards her mother.

"She's not..." Moon stopped herself before she could finish that sentence, unsure of how to phrase it, but Star simply shook her head and in a voice that was barely audible she said "I don't know, she told me and Marco to flee, but Helvete wasn't hurt by her attack".

Queen Moon looked confused as Star said this, "Who's Helvete?" she asked quizzically, Star continued to look at her mother with a look of fear on her face "He's the King of a place called Helios, its the place Eclipsa told us about when she was put on trial...seems he's here for revenge".

Queen Moon stepped back and started to walk towards the Mirror on the wall behind her "Seems we might need help from our allies, I'll call the lucitors" she said as she stopped in front of the mirror, but just before she could make the call, her and Star heard a voice from behind them.

"That won't be possible im afraid your majesty", Star and Moon turned to see the source of the voice. Star gasped at the sight "Tom?".

 **Lucitor Kingdom-3 hours until war**

A knock came from Tom's door. An unwelcome noise to Tom, who refused to talk to anyone as he prepared himself to warn the Butterfly Kingdom of his parents treason towards Mewni. The knocks however would not stop, instead they became louder and more frequent, accompanied by a deep voice imploring the young prince to open the door.

Tom sighed fustratedly and hid his preparations before opening the door a crack to be greeted by the face of General Jeong, the head of the army, he bowed lightly before speaking. "My apologies for this interruption my prince, however I am here on orders from the king" he said as Tom eased open the door a little more to face the general properly. Tom let slip a fustrated grumble, followed by a quick "What does he want then?".

The general looked at the young prince with a look of disappointment on his face, though this was not aimed towards Tom, it was a look which seemed to be showing understanding to Tom's own feelings. "Officially, my liege I have been ordered to bring you to the front lines when I travel to the Ponyhead Kingdom.." Jeong paused for a brief moment as he peered into the room and spotted the, poorly hidden, dimensional scissors. "but judging from those I doubt I'd be able to do that even if I wanted to, instead..I want you to know what I understand how you feel".

Tom froze at this, it certainly wasn't expected that this general would not only not attempt to stop him from fleeing the Lucitor Kingdom in favour of the Butterfly family, but also to state that he understands why? It puzzled Tom, that was for sure.

"Know, your highness, that I will never betray my nation" Jeong began again "I have been ordered to war by my king, and thus to war I will go, my disagreement with our motives or those of our newly found allies is irrelevant, but I also will not stop you from assisting the Butterfly Kingdom, I hope you can bring them a victory and bring our nation back to the right path your Highness" He then bowed at the waist before raising himself up and saying "I hope that I can survive this conflict, so that I can see you bring our nation back into the light".

Tom smiled and nodded towards the general. "I will make sure that Helios will not drag us down with them, that is a promise general, I'll make the Lucitor Kingdom proud" he declared as he clenched his fist tightly. The general turned and made his way down the hall to the war room, silently remarking barely in earshot of Tom "I know you will your highness".

Tom shut the door and gathered together his things, he slipped into a set of light, leather armour and gathered a set of duel broadswords that he placed into a scabbard that hung from his back. He then turned to face the wall and cut a portal using his dimensional scissors, before walking through he took one last look at a painting of his parents that hung on his wall. "You forced this out of me...I'm sorry" he uttered before walking through the portal.

 **Castle Butterfly**

Tom stepped forwards and bowed lightly towards the Queen and Princess. "My apologies for this intrusion your highness, however, asking for assistance from the Lucitor Kingdom will not be possible in this conflict" he says solemnly. Star looks away from Tom as she knows why he sounds so hurt.

Queen Moon looks towards Tom with a puzzled expression on her face. "Tom, why won't the Lucitors help us?" she asked as she stepped away from the mirror and took a few paces towards the teen prince. Tom met the queen's gaze but couldn't wipe the expression of shame from his face.

Shakily and with minor stuttering on his part he told Queen Moon "Because they have joined forces with Helios...our armies assisted in the assault on the Ponyhead Kingdom". Tom looked down once again with shame. He couldn't face whatever reaction Queen Moon would have towards him, he only heard her voice as he attempted to avoid her gaze.

"So why did you come here..." she said with betrayal and hurt in her voice as Tom felt a light shimmer in the air, looking around him he could see the air was changing as Queen Moon's power was flowing through it. Tom gulped, his next words would need to be chosen carefully.

"I came because I can't be part of it" he said truthfully as he felt the air lighten slightly around him, clearly having chosen the right words he'd just have to remain truthful. "Star and Marco are my friends, the Lucitors and the Butterflys have been allies for centuries now, I don't want to fight against my friends and I can't stand by and watch as my parents betray Mewni and betray the Lucitor name because of some lunatic" Tom clenched his fists in anger as he spoke, anger at both his parents, and at himself for not stepping up and stopping Helvete.

Queen Moon's expression softened and she placed a light hand on Tom's shoulder, "Thank you Tom, I'm sorry for getting angry I just...didn't expect your parents would do such a thing to us" she said as Tom looked up to once again meet her gaze. "We'll set you up a room in the castle and once Marco is healed he can use what you know to help us prepare".

Tom was startled by this, "Once he's healed!?" he asked "What happened to Marco!?" he looked towards Star who slightly teared up but managed to speak. "He's okay, he's healing, but when we went to the Ponyhead Kingdom we fought Helvete...he...overpowered both of us...Marco saved my life and Helvete punished him for it" she stuttered as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Tom's expression softened to one of concern and he gave Star a handkercheif he carried around, she drew back slightly but he reassured her "It's clean Star I haven't used it" he said chuckling to himself. Star smiled lightly and wiped the tears from her eyes with the handkerchief before returning it to Tom.

Tom turned to Queen Moon, "I'd like to visit Marco now if possible your majesty, I need to be sure he's okay" he said, earning a nod from Moon as she turned back to the mirror. "I'll tell the servants to set you up a room and I'll try to ask the Johansen's for help, they may be unrefined to a degree but they're family and some of the best warriors in Mewni" she remarked as Star and Tom left to check on Marco.

Tom and Star strolled down the hall of the castle, an awkward silence hung in the air as they passed the doors and portraits that lined the decadent halls of the palace. It was Star who finally broke the silence when she hall whispered towards Tom. "Thank you..". Tom looked perplexed as he glanced towards Star and asked "What for? I haven't done anything?".

"You came to help us, you left your parents to come help us despite the risk, I appreciate it and I know Marco will too" she said as they came to the door of Marco's room. "I couldn't betray you or Marco, you're my best friends" he then smiled slyly as he joked "Besides, Marco doesn't get to die until he finds me a date". Star giggled at the comment and the two opened the door to Marco's room.

 **A/N: Tom leaves to help Mewni and Eclipsa is now trapped within Helios. What will come of Mewni now her allies are running thin? We're in Double digits with the chapters now ladies and gents :D Thank you for the continued support of the story, I hope you all continue to enjoy as the tale unfolds. Until next time :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- A Call to Arms**

 **Butterfly Castle-Marco's Room**

Tom and Star walked through the door and were greeted by Marco, who was standing upright and pulling on his armour. Star gasped and her expression suddenly turned to anger "Marco Diaz!" she yelled, causing Marco to jump. Marco turned around with a nervous look on his face to see Stars scowling face approaching him.

Tom backed out of the room, sensing where this conversation was headed, saying quietly "I'll errm let you two talk, I'll come back later", and like that he turned the corner and headed down the hall to leave the couple in peace. Star turned back to Marco and continued her rant.

"I told you to stay in bed! You're in no condition to do anything at the minute, you promised me!" she yelled as she came face to face with Marco, who by now had realised that he was going to need a good excuse here. He lowered his head in shame as he pulled off the shirt he'd been trying to put on, exposing the damage Helvete had done to his abdominal muscles with a single hit. Star gazed at his damaged flesh and a small tear came to her eye.

"I'm sorry Star.." Marco said shamefully "I just...I can't stand by and do nothing when that madman could attack at any minute". Star placed a hand on his chest and drew closer to him, gazing up at the knight with her shimmering, ocean-like eyes. Marco looked down and was immediately weakened, he couldn't resist Star like this, he hated to see her upset especially when he was the cause.

"I know Marco.." she whispered as she rested her head on his chest, trying to avoid accidentally hurting him by avoiding the brusing along his abdomen. "But please..I need you to rest and heal before you go charging into another battle". Tears began rolling down Star's cheeks and onto Marco as she gripped him tight. "I can't loose you Marco...I just...I can't let him take you away from me" she said as she sobbed.

Marco wrapped his arms tightly around Star, and rested his head on top of hers. Small tears also began flowing from his eyes. "Star, you won't lose me I promise" he said through the pain as his wounds screamed at him, but he ignored them. He lifted Star's chin and looked into her sad eyes as he spoke reassuringly to her in a soft whisper. "We're going to win this, we'll survive and beat Helvete and we'll do it together and be together at the end of it all, I promise Star" He then kissed her lightly before pulling away and saying softly "I love you Star".

Star sniffed and wiped her eyes with a frail smile forming on her face "I love you too Marco" she whipsered as she returned a small kiss to her knight. When they seperated they were interrupted by a voice from the door "You know you still need to find me a girl too right?".

The couple turned to see Tom at the door, a smirk present on his face as he watched the young couple. The pair blushed lightly and seperated, Marco then smriking in turn as he faced Tom. "Yeah, I'm working on it, although it'd be much easier if you stopped insisting on waiting for the next blood-moon ball for your first date, just take her to a normal dance man" Marco said sarcastically as he faced the prince.

Tom chuckled and shrugged "Hey, it worked for you two, I just figured I need to have one as well you know?" he said as he entered the room properly strolling towards his friends. Marco once again chuckled "Well, unless you wanna date Hekapoo, I don't know any girls that can live for 667 years" he said as he sat down on the edge of his bed, guided, if not slightly forced, by Star.

Tom pretended to ponder by mocking stroking his chin, as if he had a beard. "Well...she is rather attractive I suppose.." he said, which stunned Star and Marco slightly. However they came back to reality when Tom smirked and waved his hands while giggling to himself "Guys, guys, I'm kidding, Hekapoo might be hot and have the same powers but she's really not my type".

Marco finished his chuckling at the discussion and looked towards Tom, turning serious. "Sorry to change the tone Tom, I really am, But why are the Lucitors helping Helvete..what happened?" he asked with a heavy tone as he watched Tom's smile drop from his face, a look of shame replacing it.

"Turns out there's alot about my history that I don't know Marco" he said solumly as he took a seat in a small chair in the corner of the room, facing his friends. "Helvete knew it though, and he told it to my parents, convincing them that our people and his are somehow 'brothers' and that we should 'rise up together against our retched oppressors'" Tom looked up as he said these words and pointed casually towards Star and Marco "That would be you two and the rest of the Butterfly family apparently" he said sarcastically. Star and Marco pulled resembling faces of digust at the comment, this caused Tom to draw back slightly.

"Okay I agree with the disgust but its kinda creepy how you both did that at the same time" he said as his eyes darted between the couple, who blushed lightly and simultaniously scratched the back of their heads, Star then spoke up. "Yeah alot of people keep telling us that, we're pretty sure its got something to do with the blood moon" she says while smiling, slightly embarressed, as was Marco.

Tom shook his head and continued his story "Anyway, ignoring that problem for now, It turns out that my people and Helvete's were once a part of the same grand nation, this was centuries before even Eclipsa's time but it's why both of our people share the same industrial capacity and affinity for pyrokinesis, although that being said, it seems that Helios is much more powerful when it comes to use of their abilities" He said as he held a small, gentle flame in his hand. Pondering it and shifting its form gently as he spoke.

"Using this as a persuasion technique, he turned my parents to his side, promising territory and power when Mewni falls to him" Tom stood and said with passion in his voice "But I won't let my kingdom follow that madman, please Star and Marco, I need you two as my best friends to help me stop Helvete and then..." Tom hesitated before he could continue "Help me to remove my parents from the throne so that I can replace them as sovereign of the Lucitor Kingdom".

Star and Marco nodded in unison and Marco struggled to his feet as Star steadied him. He walked over to Tom who also moved from his chair to stand before Marco. Marco extended his hand and Tom took it. The two embraced and Marco spoke "We'll stop this lunatic together Tom, I promise". The two seperated and all three smiled towards each other. Between them they had saved Mewni a dozen times, and they would do it again on pain of death, even if they had to do it alone.

 **Johansen Kingdom**

King River approached the great gates of the Johansen Kingdom, his eyes once again gazing in amazement on his birthplace. The high granite walls of the city, manned by dozens of guards in shimmering plate armour, their hands casually dangling around sword hilts. A voice cried out from the high tower of the gatehouse.

"Who goes there!?" the cry came down towards River. River looked up to see multiple guards gazing down from the wall, directly onto him. He darted his eyes towards the guard who had yelled and shouted up "Come on Grunt, open the gate, you know who I am".

A man peered over the edge of the wall down at River, He had a deep, red scar running downwards across his right eye, and he sported two golden rings in his ears and his bald head glinted as the sunlight bounced off it, near blinding a nearby soldier.

"River!" He yelled down as he smiled "You jammy bastard, I didn't expect to see you until flags, I wont fall for the same scheme you pulled last year you know!". River laughed heartily at the comment "Well I only threw a jar of honey at Prince Rock, it's not my fault you wear a live bear on your back!" he yelled before laughing even harder.

Grunt laughed in turn and slapped his knee in joy "Well, the prince is still abit sore about that one, I'd avoid him if I were you! Come on in you mad sod!" he yelled down from the tower before the portculles raised and the great oakwood gates behind swung open to reveal the city innards. Still laughing from the memory of flags, River strolled into the city and up towards the castle in it's centre.

As he strolled he took out a small sheet of paper with his instructions, pain stakiningly written by Queen Moon, on it.

 _River,_

 _I need you to go to the Johansen Kingdom and secure their allience. We need their weapons and armies to help us defend the kingdom._

 _Please don't waste time partying or drinking, if we win this war you can have as much time as you want to party with them. Now is the time to be serious._

 _Love_

 _Moon xx_

River gained a determined look in his eye as he read the words. "I'll get it done Moon-Pie, Helios ain't gonna know what hit it!" he said to himself as he burst through the door of the Castle. He immediately looked into the faces of King and Queen Johansen, who both gained wide grins as they saw River's face.

"Well I'll be dammed, River you bugger, How've you been? You know the Prince is still annoyed about what you did during flags" The king chuckled as he got up to embrace River in a crushing bear hug, which River eagerly returned.

"Well I just wanted to cover the boy in honey for a laugh" River chuckled as they seperated "Sort've forgot that Grunt's bear goes nuts for the stuff, how is the little blighter anyway?". King Johansen laughed heartily and slapped River on the back as he did.

"He'll be fine, honestly he reminds me a little of you when you were his age, needs to get a little bit of gusto in him" King Johansen said as he sat back down in his throne alongside the Queen. "Now then, I assume you're not hear for just a flying visit" he asked as he took a more serious tone towards River.

River also grew serious, "Unfortunately not, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Mewni is at war and we're losing, we need help desperately and I'm here to ask you for it" River said as he watched the King's face turn to concern and ponderment. The King leaned towards his Queen and a small hushed conversation was had between the two. River couldn't make out the words and as such stood, unmoving as he watched the royals talk.

After a few minutes of this the King sat up once again and faced River with a look of concern. "Who are we facing River?" he asked in a serious tone. River took out a small piece of cloth and opened it up, unveiling the Helios flag to the King before saying bluntly "Helios, an older Kingdom, but a powerful one, they have also formed an unholy allience with the Lucitor family if my reports are correct".

After several more minutes of pondering the King looked up again and turned to an advisor "How are we on anti-pyrokinisis weaponry?". The advisor looked down towards a clipboard and adjusted his thin glasses to better read. "Well your highness we've had a lull in production since the Lucitors have been peaceful for so long and...well Helios was considered a destroyed state, however we do have enough to currently ourfit around 45% of our forces" The advisor stated in a plain tone.

"How quickly could we get that to 100%?" The king asked with growing concern, the advisor then flicked through a series of notes on his clipboards and muttering figures and notes to himself as he read before finally turning to the King and saying with a troubled look on his face "To arm our entire forces would take around 8 months, even accounting for increased war production and changing production lines to fit the army's needs".

The King stroked his impressively long beard and turned to River "Well my boy, for now we can't give much" he said before pausing and standing to his feet, walking over to River and placing both hands on his shoulders. "But we'll give everything we have to help family, that's what it means to be a Johansen". He then slapped River on the back and guided him towards the door "Now then, lets celebrate with a drink shall we!?" He yelled with a hearty laugh.

"Well.." said River, thinking about Moon's letter and warning "What harm can one do?" he chuckled as the two monarchs strolled into the castle's grand beer hall.

 **Helios-Grand Hall of Engineers**

General Kahchi was stood on a platform high in the factory, overlooking the grand space with great interest. He was jotting down note upon note into a small journal that he kept with him about the observations he was making on this area. Notes of everything from; random facts that he himself found intriguing, down to tactical plans that involved the developing technology he saw before him.

"I told you that one day I'd build you an army that could never be rivaled, now I trust you to deliver your end of the bargin general" A voice came from behind him, startling the general slightly out of his notes. He turned to see the face of his sovereign before him. Kahchi saluted, which was returned, and he placed his journal back into his breast pocket.

"Your Highness, you have done more than your word, these devices, these machines of war change the dynamic of conflict forever" he said as he gestured towards the machinery lining the grand space below them. "With coal and steel, fire and gunpowder I shall not cease my attacks until your flag flies high over all of Mewni".

Helvete smiled, "That is good, I expect nothing less general, the final battle begins soon, and I will not be denied again" he said as he turned to leave, causing Kahchi to catch a glimpse of the half charred doll Helvete cradled in his left hand.

"She would be proud to see how far we've come your Highness, we will avenge the fair princess on pain of death...I promise" Kahchi said. Helvete stopped in his tracks and turned to look over his shoulder with a thin smile on his face. A genuine look of kindness towards his general.

"I know we will general" He said as he turned back once again to leave the room "I know...".

 **A/N: The Butterfly family now has new allies in the fight, but it seems Helvete is bringing something new to the fight. Can his new weapons overcome the Mewnian alliance? Only time will tell. Thank you once again for continued support of this story, I always enjoy reading your comments and thoughts on the writing so thank you again. Until next time guys :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Instruments of War**

 **Helios-Helvete's Balcony**

Helvete looked over the grand space beneath his palace, it was a street fashioned from finest granite, mined from the catacombs of Helios. In it's centre, formed from red marble, was an image of the flag of Helios. It's blazing sun a constant reminder to all who walked those streets as to whom they served.

However today the citizenry had been cleared from the square. A grand parade was taking place to show off the empire's new innovation. It was a truly magnificent spectacle to behold. Helios' enlisted men marching in columns across the square in their black trousers and tunics adorn with golden buttons, red trim and the flag emblazened on their left arm.

The officers were also in their finest, wearing a uniform not dissimilar from their men, however they sported purple trim, their swords adorn with golden hilts and their rank denoted on the cuffs of their sleeves by a series of golden rings. They marched alongside their troops, each of them in charge of a small division to whom they gave orders during their march across the square.

As each division passed Helvete's balcony, the men turned their heads to face him and saluted together as they passed. Helvete returned each salute as they passed, but he was disinterested in the men passing him. He was more intrigued to see what his engineers had built him and whether it worked as they told him.

Standing alongside Helvete, albeit with a nervous expression and the glisten of sweat across his brow, was the head of his engineers. A thin, balding man whose features were rarely seen under a coating of soot and oil. Today however he had cleaned up and been given a clean uniform to wear and a much needed bath so as to look somewhat dignified alongside his emperor.

Helvete turned to the nervous engineer and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay Conaris?" Helvete asked with concern in his voice. The engineer gulped and shook himself out of his trance before responding shakily "Y..Yes your imperial majesty, I am just a tad nervous is all".

Helvete smirked, amused at the nervousness of the man, placing a hand on his shoulder and reassuringly chuckling "You've nothing to fear my friend, this is a celebration of how far our nation's industry has come, and of the future liberation of Mewni from the Butterfly scourge". Helvete's eyes then narrowed sinisterly and his pupils glowed lightly as he stared deeply into his engineer's eyes. This sudden change in expression turned Conaris's blood to ice as he felt like his soul was being scanned and scrutinised by a demonic force that wilted his willpower against it.

"Unless you think that your new weapon has some kind of failing I should know about?" Helvete said with a dark, sinister tone. Conaris gulped as he tried to regain the ability to speak, but every part of his body now felt out of his control, as if some force had severed his soul from his physical self and was now manipulating him like a morbid puppet.

After a minute or so he managed to find some remnants of a voice and used every ounce of his willpower to speak up to his emperor, who's pupils still glowed, revealing a deeply contained, unspeakable level of power. "W...Well your imperial highness, I..I mean we..have designed it to the best of our abilities and built them with the finest materials that Helios has to offer...its just that...well..".

"Just what Conaris?" Helvete interrupted, his voice like a dagger through the man's chest. "Well, I'm just concerned about keeping up with how many you needed...and then there's training times for the men as well.." Conaris was interrupted by Helvete releasing his shoulder and chuckling to himself. Conaris felt the air around him soften and his body become light, as though a crushing weight had been resting upon it for hours and had just been taken off him.

Through his laughter Helvete turned back towards the parade and remarked back casually "Oh let the generals worry about that stuff, you and your workers just focus on the building okay?". Conaris nodded nervously "Yes your imperial majesty" he said blankly. Conaris was now white as a sheet, petrified where he stood as he watched the emperor wave from the balcony down to his troops. A simple glance into the power of his emperor, a question was now present on his mind and it's presence weighed heavy.

'Just how strong is he?' Conaris thought as he considered the feeling that had come over him when he was under the ire of Helvete. It felt beyond something any mortal should be able to posses, Helvete had often been revered by the propaganda as more of a god than a man. Usually this was easy to dismiss as mere propaganda and trying to make the emperor sound better than he was, after all, who would follow an ordinary man into such a war of conquest? But now, following that experience, Conaris wasn't sure just how far fetched that idea was.

The parade below went on and soon came to what Helvete had been waiting for, machines of steel and iron. The smoke from their engines rising into the sky as they thundered across the square under their own power, something unseen across Helios, when usually vehicles are towed by pack animals like horses or even dragged by enslaved monsters. The engines roared as hunks of steel rolled along on their tracks.

A steel window towards the front was open, revealing the soldiers inside, 3 in total. One driving using a series of levers, the other two standing at both ends of the vehicle presenting themselves in their battle positions for demonstration purposes. As the vehicles passed Helvete's platform, the emperor's expression transformed into a wide grin as he inspected the results of his engineer's tireless work. Needless to say he was pleased with what he saw and raised his arms to silence the crowd so he could speak.

"Loyal and beloved citizens of Helios" He began, as the crowed hushed to hear their emperor's words. "We gather together today for a grand celebration of the most intelligent and most treasured minds within our great nation, I speak of course, of the Imperial Engineers". The crowd's cheers echoed throughout the city, cries of glory and rejoicing in their grand wealth as citizens of the empire. Even Eclipsa's cell, deep down in the catacombs as it was, was still flooded with the sounds of celebration above her.

"These souls, who have done so much to raise the legacy of Helios into the realms of magnificence, have once again proven their prowess and out-done themselves in their ability to revolutionize our industrial capacity for all time" Helvete continues as he gestures towards the great vehicles below him, a gratified smile across his face.

"I present to you, good people of Helios, The Chieftain, Helios's first motorised war rig!" The crowd once again let out a mighty exult as the tank commanders saluted their emperor on cue. "These armoured vehicles shall, in great numbers, overwhelm and annihilate the defences of the Butterfly kingdom and finally bring an end to the tyrannical and hated Butterfly family".

The crowd began with great chants of "Praise Helios" alongside "Death to Mewni". The crowd becoming louder and more excited with each cry, the soldiers stood fast as they had been trained but the look in their eyes gave away that they long to join in the rallying cry. The crowd was only drawn back into order when Helvete continued his speech.

"Always remember however my loyal citizens, that none of this. None of this at all would be possible without the tireless work of two groups among our ranks." He spoke as he directed one hand down to the parade ground below him, the soldiers formed up across it beaming with pride as their emperors next words rained down from the balcony. "The first of course, are the loyal and steadfast troops of the Helios Imperial Army, who have purged the filth from the so called 'Rich Pigeon Kingdom' and have restored dignity to the former Ponyhead Kingdom, which shall now be offically renamed 'Tamia', so as to honour the memory of my daughter, who's life as your princess was brutally cut short by Eclipsa Butterfly and Globgor the Merciless".

The crowd's chant now changed, it now rang out with cries of "Avenge the fallen princess" and "Glory to Princess Tamia the Angelic", however the "Death to Mewni" chants were still heavily present in the crowds mourning rage.

"The second group, here represented today by head engineer Conaris, our bright-minded and relentlessly hardworking engineers of the Imperial Science and Engineering Corps" Helvete gestured for Conaris to step forward and stand at his side, which the nervous man obeyed.

Looking down towards the crowd a nervous smile grew on his face, the cheers and the fanfare he received was beyond his wildest dreams but it felt..wrong. As if he wasn't right or worthy to receive it, the feelings he clashed with over his encounter with Helvete's power had shaken the man to his core. Now everything seemed, brighter, as if his eyes were beginning to part on a bright morning. He could only stand there and wonder at what his world now was as the crowd below him praised his genius and innovation, that was now being used to wage a war of revenge.

But all too soon Helvete came forward again and took the crowd's attention from the nervous and silent engineer. "Well now my citizens, all I can now say is, pay witness and enjoy the rest of the parade. Let the celebrations commence!" Helvete announced as the crowd cheered and the soldiers turned to make their way through the streets. Helvete himself turned from the scene and walked back into his palace. As he passed Conaris he stopped and said plainly "You've done this nation a grand service, you'll be remembered for that I assure you, Helios looks after those most loyal to her, please, enjoy the parade" before walking out of the room, leaving Conaris alone to watch the celebrations below.

 **Butterfly Kingdom**

It has been over a week since the fall of the Ponyhead Kingdom. One of the great powers of Mewni had collapsed almost immediately against the tide of Helios, and now all the citizens and knights could think about was what would happen if they couldn't hold them back.

Defences were being constructed round the clock, every man old enough to fight had been called up and given weapons. Everyone from the old men, who were jaded and bitter from the weight of a long life and whose prime was far behind them, all the way down to young men on the cusp of manhood, their potential still yet to be unlocked and yet may be squandered on a life or death battle for reasons they didn't understand.

Deep trenches and high walls had been fabricated in order to fend off the invaders and safeguard the kingdom from their merciless horde. Bunkers and command centres were carved into the hills that formed the border of the Butterfly Kingdom. A storm was coming, and it was every citizen's responsibility to ensure Mewni survived it.

Marco and Tom were in the training grounds, although to call them that was being generous. Due to the number of conscripted citizens that had to be trained Marco and Tom had resorted to using a requisitioned farming settlement. It was little more than a number of small barns that had been hastily converted into barracks and some training fields that had been thrown up quickly to put citizens through their paces.

Marco and Tom were demonstrating defence techniques against pyrokinesis, turns out it was a good job that Tom hadn't followed Helvete's banner. Tom's abilities with fire were famed throughout Mewni and he was a perfect sparring partner. They were drilling the recruits in deflecting pyrokinetic blasts. True enough it wasn't exactly what you'd call a bullet-proof defence but times were desperate and the defenders had to be trained fast.

Tom stood at one end of a makeshift arena and fired multiple blasts towards a waiting Marco, who expertly deflected each blast using his hands to throw them away from himself. As they finished the demonstration they took positions in front of the recruits.

"Well that's basically how it works, its a simple ability but against Helios it'll be effective to counter their pyrokinetic abilities, although try to deflect blasts away from the defences or god forbid other defenders" Marco said as he scanned the class before him.

Thirty recruits ranging from 13 all the way up to 65, they didn't have much of a hope against the Helios elite troops. Marco sighed and continued his lesson with a heavy heart. "Now then, we're gonna run through some drills, one at a time Prince Tom is going to fire a simple blast at you, it won't be enough to injure you but I still wouldn't recommend getting hit by it" He said as he gestured for the first man to step forward.

Man was probably the wrong word for it however, as a young boy stepped forwards. Marco could see clearly he was nervous, hands shaking and a look of concern in his eyes. Marco knelt down to the boy's level and spoke calmly to him. "Don't be scared okay?" he said as the boy looked up to meet Marco's gaze.

Shyly the boy questioned "S..Sir Marco...are..are we gonna die?" as his eyes shimmered, revealing the slow loss of the childlike innocence as he was forced into a world that now demanded him to fight for his, and his families', lives.

Marco was taken back by the sudden nature of the question, however he wasn't surprised to hear it. The knights hadn't exactly been subtle about talking amongst themselves, rumours of Helios' strength were circulating throughout the army. Not many thought Mewni had a chance of winning the coming conflict, but equally none wanted to fall under enemy rule.

Marco placed a hand on the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "I won't let that happen kid" he said as the boy mustered a small smile. "Now, lets see how you fend off Prince Tom eh?" Marco said, leading the boy to the sparring ring.

 **Butterfly Kingdom Catacombs**

The women and children and elderly of the Butterfly Kingdom, were sheltered deep under Butterfly castle. The catacombs of the castle, usually reserved for the storage of historical records and artefacts, as well as the burial place of the Queens of Mewni and their spouses. Now it housed a series of camps, strewn haphazardly around the dimly lit corridors and rooms.

This was to be the shelter that held those who Mewni couldn't arm. The children and elderly who didn't have the strength to wield weapons and wage war, the young mothers and the pregnant who could not risk leaving their young, even to defend their home.

All of them overseen and managed by Queen Moon and Star Butterfly. The two had managed to organise the distraught population into a somewhat organised community beneath the castle. They had storage rooms, sleeping quarters, food preparation stations and bathrooms, even if they weren't the most luxurious or pleasent.

Neither the Queen or Princess were prepared for this, Mewni had not seen war on this scale in centuries and as such there was no procedure in place for evacuation and safeguarding of citizens. The magical high commission had staged an emergency session in order to plan out their battle strategy and how the civilians would be protected in the event of armed invasion.

Star sighed, exasperated at the situation she found herself in. Clenching her fist, if only she was stronger...if only she could've taken Helvete down back then. Now, because of her weakness, all of Mewni was in danger of falling under tyranny of a sadistic maniac. She was however shaken from these thoughts by her mother calling her name.

"Star, were you listening?" Moon asked, now concerned for her daughter whose name she'd been shouting for about a minute. Star came to her senses and faced her mother with a surprised expression.

"Oh yeah, sorry mum just...a lot on my mind is all" Star replied with a glum voice. Moon looked down at her daughter sympathetically and gently brushed a hand through her silken golden hair. "Star I understand...I felt the same way when toffee returned, wishing I was stronger, wishing I'd had the guts to put an end to him while I had the chance." Moon said as she looked down at Star.

"Sometimes we make mistakes like that Star, sometimes we regret not having the strength or the willpower to do something, but you can't dwell on it, it won't do anyone any good to dwell on the past" Moon spoke before smiling pleasantly "Don't worry, we'll make him pay dearly for all of it when he arrives".

Star smiled and nodded, feeling a little better. Her mother was right, she couldn't focus on the weakness from before, all she could do now, was prepare to protect her kingdom through this storm.

 **Forward Operations Base Phoenix-40 miles outside Butterfly Kingdom**

General Kahchi stood before a series of 6 Commanders, decked out in their finest for the maiden voyage of their craft. They stood ready to receive their orders and prepare to strike the first blow in the great battle that was soon to approach.

The general scrutinised his men with the precision of a surgeon. Everything had to be perfect, not a hair out of place, not a mistake to be made. His name would forever be etched into the military annuals of Helios...no...the world for this endeavour.

After the inspection was complete he stood before a map depicting their latest intelligence of the Butterfly Kingdom's defences and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Gentlemen, we are today to receive a great honour on orders of the emperor himself, it is our great duty to strike the first blow against the hated Butterfly Kingdom" He gestured behind the commanders to the great vessels that they stood before.

"Our engineers have granted to us a technological marvel the likes of which has only been dreamed of in past generations. The power of flight. Our mighty fleet of airships, are to henceforth, under orders of Emperor Helvete, conduct aerial raids upon industrial, economic and agricultural centres across the Butterfly Kingdom." Kahchi smiled deviously as he turned to his map and pointed out sections of it that were marked by red crosses.

"Tonight that begins with our maiden voyage and maiden raid, these missions are the starting phase of Operation Talon Strike, the objective of these missions is to cripple the Mewnian Army's capacity to fight before the invasion sweeps it from existence" Kahci spoke with conviction, his own passion for war mirroring Helvete's. This was his destiny, to be the general who finally defeated the Butterfly family, his glory and genius would be forever hailed, and his family name would be immortalised.

"Now my commanders, you have your targets, your payloads are armed and the aircraft are fuelled. Go and conduct the emperor's will. Praise Helios!" He yelled to a rallying response of "Praise Helios" and a salute from his commanders before they rushed to their airships to prepare for takeoff.

Turning back to his map, the smile never left his face. "All things must come to dust, this has held true for all time, now Mewni...you too will face the fire". Kahchi looked down at the charred picture of a beautiful young woman that rested in his palm. "You too...will come to ash as she did".

 **A/N: Industrialisation has given Helios the tools of war, now those tools are turned onto a desperate and despairing Mewni. Only one Kingdom will emerge from the storm, but which will it be? Until next time guys :)**

 **Trivia: A lot of inspiration for Helios comes from the fire nation in Avatar:Legend of Aang, Hence I wanted to include some of their technology in the war.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13-Dawning of War**

 **Mewnian Defences-Butterfly Kingdom**

The bombs had come as a complete shock to the Butterfly kingdom, noone save for Marco had ever seen anything like it. After the first raid had cost them so much, Marco had the knights build the first bunkers Mewni had ever seen to protect his knights from the devastating weapons that rained down upon them from the floating fortresses of Helios.

This action had spared Mewni from losing even more of its, now weakening, military. However it hadn't spared the true targets of the Helios raids, the farmland and production centres. Mewni, it seems, was now being starved out as the blasted landscape could no longer support the growth of anything aside from the ragged strands of weeds that dotted the wasteland that was once the grand Mewnian farms.

The blacksmiths had been moved underground, now producing cheapened swords from any sources of metal they could find while using campfires surrounded by stone as a rudimentary forge. Mewni it seems was quickly being put into a position where it could not longer be self-sufficient, instead the populace relied on daily shipments from the Johansen Kingdom of food and weapons as well as small amounts of other supplies deemed essential for the survival of the population.

Despite their supply however, talk of surrender and even open rebellion was growing in the civilians and from the less honorbound and steadfast knights. Many of those who spoke of such a betrayal simply couldn't stand to see their loved ones starved or killed any longer, sooner placing themselves at the mercy of Helios if it meant a chance at safety.

Queen Moon was well aware of these whispers through her subjects. The same doubts weighed heavy on her mind, combining with the falling bombs to drain her of sleep. She considered what it would mean to surrender. Her people's suffering to end? Sparing the lives of others at the cost of her own?

It was a selfless act if one looked at it in that way. But all the while her thoughts turned to Star, Marco, River and Prince Tom's fates. They would all be led to the slaughterhouse alongside her.

Her subjects, though safe, would have their freedom and basic mewmanity stripped from them as they served Helvete's twisted dreams as mere puppets for his regime for the remainder of their, and their children's lives.

Moon could not let that stand. She couldn't watch anymore killing in this pointless war being waged by a madman. But she also could not allow that same man the pleasure and reward of a victory. She, and her subjects would stand and fight at any cost.

But despite her resolve, she couldn't deny that if the final battle didn't come soon, it would be hard to keep her army loyal and ready to fight. The final confrontation needed to happen soon, even if she had to force it by her own hand.

 **Command Bunker-Butterfly Kingdom**

Marco pondered endless charts and reports. "This isn't how he fights..why is he starving us out?" he muttered to himself as he scanned a scroll that had been updated with the approach sightings of Helvete's airships.

"North...they must be in the north" he mutters again as he draws his finger along many of the markings signifying where the airships were first reported flying in from. More often than not, the airships seemed to approach from the same direction. Unsurprising there wasn't very much tactical thinking involved when it came to their approach, it wasn't as if Mewni was equipped with much that could counter these aerial craft.

Marco, Star and Tom had all used their individual magical abilities to attempt to attack the airships numerous times. However they hadn't managed to get close enough to land a decisive blow for all of the pyro magic being shot back at them by the defenders on the platforms of the great zeppelins.

Marco was growing desperate. There had been disturbing rumours of an uprising in the army if the situation didn't improve. Marco couldn't deal with a catastrophe like that alongside the defence of Mewni should it arise. He furrowed his brow and sighed in frustration at the situation he was now in.

"If only I could bring down those damn zeppelins" he exclaimed as he slammed a fist into the table, forming a small crack in the woodwork from the force of his blow. He knew there had to be some way for him to bring one of them down, maybe if he could he could draw Helvete out into open combat.

"AIR RAID!" he heard in the distance as a war horn blew to signify an attack. Men suddenly rushed into the bunker, hemming themselves in and throwing up shield spells to assist the integrity of the bunker walls. One squire came to Marco's table and pointed towards the map with a small quill.

"If I may sir?" the boy asked timidly towards the knight. "Of course young Potemkin, go ahead, you know your duty" Marco said looking down to the boy, who he had sent to the Rich Pigeon Kingdom when all of this started. Marco sighed, that all seemed so long ago now, if only he'd sent more or if he'd have done more to defend that kingdom. But no, now it was little more than a charred landscape overrun with corpses alongside some blackened rocks that once were part of a mighty keep.

Marco was jumped from his thoughts by his name being called. He looked down into the face of Potemkin to see he had been awaiting a reply from Marco. "Sorry, Potemkin..would you mind repeating that for me?" he said as he tried to regather his composure.

Potemkin nodded and, putting on a brave face it seemed, exclaimed "Sir, My Knight, Ma'am Higgs has requested to speak to you, will you please follow me?". Marco nodded and was lead by the squire past the crowd of knights who now filled the bunker, barking orders and cursing at each other as each blast from outside shook the ground beneath them.

Potemkin led Marco into a small room off the side of the bunker that Marco used for storage. Marco raised an eyebrow but followed the boy anyway, he was a trustworthy squire, Marco had nothing to fear from him right?

The room was dimly lit, but Marco summoned a small ball of light to his palm which illuminated the small space. Revealing a familiar face out of the darkness. "Jeez Marco, could you dim that thing a tad!?" came the voice of Higgs who was shielding her eyes from the strong light Marco had produced.

"Oops sorry Higgs, usually use this in bigger rooms" Marco said apologetically has he dimmed the ball of light to an acceptable level. Only to be greeted by the face of an annoyed Higgs tapping her foot impatiently at the knight, along with Potemkin's face attempting to stifle a laugh.

"Well then, since we're going to wait for my vision to return anyway, I might as well tell you what I brought you here for Marco" Higgs said, clearly annoyed by Marco's spell. Marco chuckled lightly "I said I was sorry, so what'd you need and why in the middle of a raid?" he asked as his chuckle died, realising the serious look on Higg's face was of more than just annoyance at some little accident.

Higgs sighed, "Marco, have you heard the rumours going around the Knights at the moment?" she said with concern. Marco nodded, he'd have to be a moron to be ignorant of what was happening as his army watched themselves and their families suffer. Of course there was talk of a walkout or even a coup.

"It's getting worse Marco" Higgs said with growing concern, "None of the knights resent Mewni or Queen Moon but..." Higgs hesitated and looked down to her squire who was looking away with a pained expression on his face. "..they just can't watch their families suffer anymore, especially without a fight, we have to fight one way or another I just don't want to see you or Queen Moon become the target is all" she spoke soothingly and with a small tinge of red on her cheeks.

Marco placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, reassurance in his voice he calmly spoke "I'll not let that happen, the men will get their fight, Helvete will be the target not us". The girl smiled lightly and nodded.

All of a sudden a knight burst into the room with panic on his face, panting from the rush to get there and breathlessly uttering "Sir Marco, Princess Star and Queen Moon are attacking the zeppelins!".

 **Outer Defences-Butterfly Kingdom**

Star and Moon were standing on the balcony of Butterfly castle. Dressed in their individual battle dresses which were metal plated and adorn with light decoration in their own individual styles. They had heard the, now all to familiar, alarm which signalled an air raid and had rushed out to spot the zeppelins' approach.

"Star, we have to bring down 1 this time" Moon said as she scanned the aircraft for the most suitable target.

"Yes mum I know, but just how are we going to do that?" Star questioned with annoyance ever present in her voice as she drew her wand ready for the fight ahead. "Everytime we go up to fight those things there's way too much fire stopping us getting close".

Queen Moon pointed up to the airships "The Helios soldier's fire magic is only good for direct attacks, they can't curve their fire upwards or track us with it" She said as she pointed above the lead airship, which was even now commencing it's bombing run over the frontal defences.

"Marco's bunker..." Star whispered to herself with concern "Please be okay..". Queen Moon, to focused on the plan to listen to Star's concern for the knight continued.

"We dive down from above, firing into the airship as we descend and then pull upwards before we hit it, if we're accurate we should be able to blast if from the sky with impunity" Moon said as she summoned her butterfly form. Her skin turning a deep blue as 2 additional sets of arms and a set of translucent, ocean-blue wings sprouted from her back.

"Are you ready Star?" Moon asked, turning towards her daughter. Star nodded and summoned her own butterfly form. Also gaining 2 additional sets of arms and a beautiful set of glowing, golden wings that shone with a radiance and beauty that Queen Moon was admittedly a tad jealous of.

The two royals nodded and ascended into the sky at high speed, rapidly passing past the thin layer of clouds above the palace. They flew headlong towards the direction of the zeppelins, the birds eye view presented to them was one of disaster and ruin. The villages of Mewni had been bombed into rubble and her farmlands lay barren and littered with great craters that small pockets of troops had converted into makeshift trenches.

A small tear came to Moon's eye as she looked down upon her kingdom, she couldn't help but feel guilty. This ruin had come and she felt helpless to protect her people from the suffering they endured. But now was not the time to ponder her feelings, she had to show them there was still hope. Bringing down these machines of war would surely restore some much needed morale to her kingdom.

"Star!" she yelled across to her daughter, flying a few feet away from her. Star turned to acknowledge her mother's cry before Moon continued "Remember, don't stop firing into these things okay!?".

Star nodded again "Not until they're out of the sky, I know!" She yelled in reply. Moon smiled towards her daughter and nodded before pulling into a dive down towards the lead Zeppelin. Star following on behind the Queen.

The royals fired dozens of blasts down into the airship as they dived at greater and greater speeds towards the flying fortress, the blasts impacting and detonating as they tore through the superstructure of the Zeppelin. Eventually the Zeppelins' internal gasses caught fire and the machine exploded with a tremendous force as the internal weapons magazine was set off by the inferno.

Moon and Star pulled back up into the clouds as shrapnel and flame shot out towards the nearby zeppelins, forcing another one to catch fire and a third to have it's lower platforms blasted apart from it's superstructure. The screams of the soldiers aboard being drowned out by the great roar of the inferno that soon engulfed their forms.

Cheers were heard from the ground as 2 of the zeppelins crashed into outer fields of Mewni with a deafening smash. The third, still flying but severely damaged turned and began to retreat back to it's base. However Moon was not about to let them escape so lightly. She dived down towards the limping Zeppelin, firing dozens of blasts as she went.

The final zeppelins' engine then exploded, sending it crashing into the forests that outlined Mewni's borders. The war machine's burning carcass slamming into the trees and setting them ablaze. In the distant trenches, the men marvelled at the spectacle as the night sky glowed as bright as sunrise from the raging flames of their enemies defeated weapons.

Just like that the troops hope, if only a little, was restored as they exulted with a valiant cry praising their Queen and Princess. "Long live Mewni!" they cried into the night, loud enough for even the underworld itself to hear their cry "Long live the Queen!".

 **Forward Operations Base Phoenix-40 miles outside Butterfly Kingdom**

Kahchi stared through his binoculars at the orange glow that permeated the night sky with a deep concern written across his face. There was just...no way that those weaklings could've brought down his mighty airforce...was there? These doubts plagued his mind as he waited for his airship's return.

It was then that he heard it. The shockwave shot past him with a deafening crash as the sound of the airship's destruction had finally reached his position. His mouth hung open with shock as he tried to fathom both the noise that had thundered into his camp without warning. As well as the incredible reality that his perfect weapons had actually been swept from the sky by these...peasants.

During his pondering a solider approached the general in clear shock and asked of his commander "Sir, what was that? That blast just sent all the animals in the pens into a frenzy, are we under attack?" the young soldier asked before being cut off by Kachi grabbing the boy by the collar and yanking him up to eye level.

"Calm yourself boy, and tell the men to stand down we're not under attack!" He yelled before throwing the young solider back to the floor with an audible thud. Kahchi then turned back to look at the orange glowing in the distance, he could now hear the fire roaring in the distance as he sighed.

"My apologies boy..but inform the men that our brothers in Squadron 1 have flown their last mission" he said solemnly as he stared into the distance. The solider picked himself up and dusted himself off. Giving a salute he responded "Of course sir, they died for a good cause, Praise Helios" before turning away to carry out his orders.

"Well well, It seems they're not as weak as you assumed general" came a confident voice from behind Kahchi. The general turned to come face to face with the glowing red eyes of his emperor. Immediately stiffening up and giving a salute he quickly expressed in a panicked tone "Well sir, with these advances over their technology I couldn't have guessed they'd actually figure out a way to bring them from the sky!"

Helvete placed a finger to the general's lip, silencing him. Helvete's piercing glare delving deep into Kahchi's soul. Helvete's voice seeming even darker and filled with power as he spoke down to the general, who for the first time felt true fear in the face of his leader's presence.

"You underestimated them, a schoolboy error, wouldn't you agree general?" Helvete asked, a sinister grin creeping onto his face. Kahchi could only nod in agreement, too afraid to see what would happen should he protest his emperor's judgement.

"I've been sick of this so called 'Victory through bombardment' strategy of yours for a while now Kahchi, so from now on we're going to do what we should've done from the start and sending our forces to wipe the Mewnian scum from this earth!" With each command his voice became louder and darker within Kahchi's head, burning into his mind each syllable of the orders until he thought his head might burst from the burning voice inside it.

"Is that clear general?" Helvete asked as his eyes glowed bright red, illuminating the face of Kahchi and sending a shock through the general's spine as he could only stare into the face of what now seemed to be nothing but sheer power and will.

"Y...Yes your imperial majesty" Kahchi said with fear present in his voice. With that Helvete's eyes lost their glow and he stepped back from the general, A genuinely pleasant smile forming on his face. The new expression seemed to transform him into a different person entirely, the feeling of intimidation and power that had radiated from him before seemed faded away. Now replaced by a regal and charismatic figure.

"Good, I'll be joining in this final purging of the Butterfly family, both to ensure you don't make another disastrous mistake of command" He said, a light glow coming to his eyes again, drawing a nervous gulp from Kahchi.

"And to personally drain the life from Queen Moon and her daughter, Princess Star..my victory will not be complete until I have buried them both so deep, not even the underworld will be able to claim them" He spoke darkly as a sickening smile returned to his face and he absent-mindedly played with a small ball of flames he had summoned to his palm.

He turned once again to his general and commanded "Now then general, prepare to launch phase 1 of our assault in less than 6 hours"

 **Butterfly Kingdom-Marco's Office**

"That..was..Amazing Star!" yelled Marco as he entered the room to find his princess recovering after her fight with the zeppelins. Marco ran up and embraced the princess who giggled at the display of affection, allowing herself to be twirled through the air by her, literal, knight in shining armour.

"Well..knight in a red hoodie I guess" thought Star as she stared lovingly into her boyfriend's eyes. Marco lowered her down slightly, gently keeping hold of her waist and her keeping her arms around his neck in a loving embrace.

As the couple closed their eyes and closed the gap between them, a voice from the door suddenly jolted them from their own world. "well if you're quite done with my daughter Marco, I think we should be talking about the strategy for when Helvete takes revenge" came sarcastic voice of an amused looking Queen Moon who was accompanied by Prince Tom who also had a knowing smile on his face.

Marco and Star blushed a deep red as Marco set his princess down and they separated. Coughing nervously Marco spoke first "aha, errm yeah so.." Suddenly turning serious he turned to Queen Moon and spoke "So whats the plan?".

Queen Moon pointed to a map, present on Marco's desk and spoke clearly "The rejoicing and boost to morale in the knights won't last long without a decisive victory against Helios, our scouts have located what seems to be the airship's base" She pointed to a mark on the map that was around 40 miles from the forward defences.

"We can plan an assault on this position, which should destroy their airforces and temporarily halt their attacks against Mewni, You three are going to take 2 divisions of knights of your choice to lead the assault, I'll need to hold the line here with the rest should the attack fail or Helios catches us off guard" The three before Moon nodded together in agreement and like that the plan was decided.

But as they were about to head out to conduct their plan and pick their troops, a scout burst into the room. "Your majesty, the outer villages are under attack, we can't hold them off for much longer, they caught us completely off guard!" the scout yelled as he looked towards the Queen.

The four stared in disbelief, before Marco questioned the scout "Those villages have watch towers and trenches surrounding them how did they catch your defences off guard!?" he asked with slight anger in his voice.

The scout, wide-eyed, fearfully replied "They...They came from the sky sir..".

 **A/N: So the battle of Mewni begins, who will be the victor in the battle for the final bastion of resistance that Mewni has to offer? Will Helevete gain the victory he has sought for so long? Or will the Butterfly family once again deny him? Until Next time guys :)**

 **2nd A/N: Apologies for the delay on this chapter, work has been busy as of late, but I'll be seeing this till the end folks no need for worry :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14-Invasion**

 **Kuiper Village-Outer Mewni**

Marco emerged through the portal with a small platoon of knights to support him. Tom was to command the main defences while he delt with the attack on Kuiper Village and Star went to go support the troops aiding equinox village. Marco scanned the scene of battle before him. The Mewnian knights were holding the line, barely, but they had certainly been caught off guard by the sudden assault.

"They came from the air?" Marco pondered as he muttered to himself. He looked up and his answers were revealed. A Helios airship was flying overhead, with troops jumping off of the lower platforms into the village below.

"Huh, so they found out about parachutes then?" Marco said aloud as he watched the descending troops. "So that whole bit about them being industrial geniuses was true after all". Marco pointed a finger towards the descending troops and began to launch thin, red beams of magic at each of the chutes, causing them to burn immediately and drop the troops from the sky.

The Helios troops on the ground saw this immediately and began drawing their fire onto Marco's position. Marco threw up a defensive shield in response and Marco's small force of knights formed up and began launching their own small blasts towards the enemy.

The fighting turned fierce for a while with neither side gaining, nor giving, any ground during the exchange. However the airship above soon began providing support to the Helios forces, launching dozens of blasts of flame downwards towards Marco's knights. The knights holding their positions in the village fell back to Marco's position on the Hillside, giving up the village in exchange for a better defensive position.

The Helios troops, now occupying the village fully, took up their own positions behind and inside the houses. They used the walls and buildings of the village as cover as they intensified their blasts against the hillside. The exchange once again continued for some time, Marco's knights however were being forced back bit by bit by the airship's blasts providing air support to the Helios troops below.

"Dammit, that fucking airship's gonna be the death of us all!" Yelled Marco as he called for his troops to pull back to the cover of a nearby cluster of large rocks. These provided some limited cover against the airships blasts, however with each blast of flame from the Helios troops the stones became hotter and hotter. After around 30 minutes of the intense fire between the two forces, both sides had taken multiple casualties. However Marco's forces were now surrounded by scalding rocks that glowed with the intense heat of the battle they had just gone through.

Through the smoke of battle, Marco got a glance into the village centre. The sight shocked him and he quickly shouted to his knights. "Retreat now! Get out of here, back to the city!". As he spoke these words the first shots rained across from the artillery that the Helios forces had landed in the village and set up in it's centre. Blasting the surrounding rocks and launching small pieces of glowing stone in all directions.

The shrapnel of the rocks buried themselves in the nearby troops, causing them to shriek with pain as the burning stone seared itself into their flesh. The knight's morale had now gone and the line broke into a panic as they streamed over the hill towards Mewni castle. The dreaded guns pounding at their positions the entire time, as did the blasts from the zepplin overhead.

Marco ran with his knights, fleeing towards his trenches in defeat. All the while over the noise of battle he could hear the exaltations of the victorious troops in the village carried along the wind like the haunting cry of death itself. "Praise Helios! Death to the Mewnian Scum!" The chant sounded, and no matter the distance Marco put between his knights and the village, the cry never seemed to fade in intensity.

 **Castle Butterfly**

Star exhaustedly burst through the main doors of the castle, immediately turning to the waiting medical staff. "Quickly, take these knights to the hospital block, they're hurt bad!" She yelled as around 14 knights were carried past her on makeshift stretchers made from the coats of their comrades. Some were missing limbs, others were peppered with shrapnel and were screaming in pain the entire way as each movement brought fresh pain to their bodies.

Those brought in the back were limp and lifeless, trickling a small stream of blood behind them as they were carried towards the morgue, still dressed in their cracked armour and shredded uniforms. Star herself had only a few scrapes from the battle but it was clear that it had taken it's toll on her as well as he troops.

Queen Moon came and grasped her daughter's arm, assisting her across the castle up towards her room. "Star are you okay!? What happened out there!?" She asked in panic upon seeing the condition of Star and also her knights. Star, through gritted teeth and the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes responded "It was like walking into hell, the second we got there the village had been taken, every knight there was dead".

Star paused as she was lowered by Moon onto her bed so she could rest a little better. "We tried to fight and take back the village but, they just blasted us with those cannons, I managed to stop some of the shells..but it was too much and...so many of them fell and I couldn't...I.." Star struggled to speak as tears streamed down her face. Moon hugged her daughter close and felt her shoulder dampen as Star's tears flowed uncontrollably onto her mother.

"Shhh, its okay Star, its okay" Moon whispered as she attempted to comfort her daughter. "It's not your fault, this is Helvete's fault, and we're gonna make him pay dearly for it okay?". Star nodded lightly, her face still buried in Moon's shoulder, Moon only hearing a muffled "uh huh" from her daughter through the sniffs and tears.

Holding Star at arm's length, Moon took on a serious face looked into her daughter's whimpering face before speaking "Star, I know this horrific, but you've gotta be strong and keep on fighting okay? Our people are looking to us to lead the charge, and if we can't do that we'll lose, so please...I need you to be strong for me and them okay?" She pleaded to her daughter. Star nodded and wiped the tears from her face.

"Okay...Okay mum I'll try, Helvete isn't gonna get away with this" Star said as she returned to her feet. Moon smiled, "You're right about that dear" she said before standing and walking with Star out of the room and off to the fight.

 **10 Miles Outside of Mewni**

Smoke, Flames, Devastation. Eclipsa had seen plenty of each in her time, but never anything like the sight that greeted her now. The once beautiful and serene landscape of Mewni had now been tainted by the toils of war and it broke her heart to witness such a tragedy.

Her restraints cut into her skin as she attempted to look around for any signs of life, any small hope that the butterfly kingdom still drew breath. But try as she might she could find nothing but a land sown with death and ash. A confident chuckle sounded behind her as a harsh hand gripped the back of her neck tightly, causing even more strain on her bruised and battered body.

"I'm surprised you're not impressed Queen of Darkness, with that kind've title you would've thought you'd love a view like this? Is that not what you did to my homeland?" A sinister voice came as the owner of the hand gripping her neck came forward to meet her gaze.

"I already told you Helvete I didn't..." Helvete's hand gripped tighter, cutting off Eclipsa's ability to speak. His eyes revealing a look of fury and seriousness that after all this time in his company, if you could call torture company, she was all too used to seeing.

"I don't believe I told you to speak" He said with a fury in his voice, as if scolding a troublesome child. "Let's check shall we?" he said with a sadistic smirk, directing his eyes upwards and behind Eclipsa "Tell me general, my memory is getting fuzzy with age, did I tell this dog she could speak?" Helvete asked.

General Kahchi, who was positioned behind Eclipsa with a dagger drawn, his dagger's tip coated with a thin layer of blood from using it to 'motivate' Eclipsa to keep moving whenever she collapsed from exhaustion. "You know your imperial majesty, I don't think you did" He replied as he directed his glance to meet his emperor's gaze.

Helvete looked down towards Eclipsa, the sickening expression on his face never for a moment slackening. "Interesting, and tell me again general, what does one do with a misbehaving dog?" he said as he used his free hand to reach behind him.

"A misbehaving dog must be punished your imperial majesty, it is the only way they learn their lessons" Kahchi responded, his own smile forming as he knew what was coming. For the troops this was the entertainment before the battle and they looked on in glee to catch a glimpse of the suffering of their mortal enemy.

"Very astute general, well then, this dog has been very disobedient, so I think a lesson must be taught" Helvete's expression changed into one of sheer anger and venom. "Turn this ignorant bitch around and rip the shirt from her back" he said darkly as he released her neck and pulled out a small handle from his back pocket. Channelling his power through it, the handle generated a long whip formed from white-hot flames that seemed as though they were powered by Helvete's own rage and anger towards Eclipsa.

The men did as directed and dragged Eclipsa around to show her back to the emperor and then ripped the top of her dress to reveal her bare back to the menacing figure looming over her. As the troops stepped back, Helvete brought the whip crashing down into the centre of Eclipsa's back.

The strike forced Eclipsa to scream in agony as her flesh seared and burned with both the force of the strike as well as the pain of her flesh melting against the whip's flames. There was no time at all before the next blow landed on Eclipsa's spine, causing another bloodcurdling scream to be drawn from her.

This sickening and horrifying display continued for another 30 cracks of the whip, each peel receiving another resounding cheer from the men, however even with the cheers of the thousands of men echoing through the landscape, each of Eclipsa's screams still drowned them out.

After the final lashing, Helvete dissipated the whip's flame and placed the handle back into his pocket. "Pick her up and face her towards me" he directed towards his troops, two of which obeyed and faced Eclipsa towards Helvete. She was exposed, her face streaming with tears and her back now a red mass of angry scars and cauterised wounds. Helvete gripped her chin tightly and dragged her up to meet his gaze. She winced with the movement as her back screamed with pain with every breath.

"Now then, have we learned our lesson? Are you going to obey me like a good dog?" Helvete threatened "Because honestly I don't think anyone here would mind if I kept this up all day". Through the tears, all Eclipsa could manage was a weak nod before she was thrown to the ground by Helvete. "Get some rags and cover her shame, then we're moving on" Helvete ordered as two more men came forward and quickly threw a worn and tattered shirt over Eclipsa, finally covering her up. The men then gathered their weapons and continued their march towards the battle.

 **Butterfly Castle-Entrance Hall**

Marco and his knights had returned in much the same way as Star's, with most having to be carried in on makeshift stretchers, many of them being injured in various ways. Marco staggered in just behind his knights, leaning against the castle walls for support. "Make sure those men get taken care of, the attack is coming soon and I want every able bodied man ready to fight" he commanded to the medical staff.

The medics nodded and took the injured knights off for treatment as quickly as they could manage. Marco staggered up to one of the castle guards, few remained now as most had been called up to serve in the front lines. "Did Star get back?" he asked the guard with a worried tone. The guard nodded "Yes sir, a little while before you, the Princess and Queen Moon are in the war room" the guard said as Marco thanks him and gives a salute before making his way up the stairs.

Star and Moon were in the middle of planning the final defence when Marco staggered through the door. "Marco!" Yelled Star, running up and hugging the knight tightly, an action which Marco eagerly returned. Moon strolled closer to the couple "What happened Marco, is Kuiper village safe? she asked, fearful that she might already know the answer.

"I'm sorry Queen Moon" Marco said despondently as he shook his head. "We fought hard but Helios had air support, we retreated to take the pressure off but once they brought in the artillery it was over". Marco looked down and sniffed as he continued to speak "Current count says we took 22 casualties, 10 of which are deaths".

Star held Marco close to her "Marco don't blame yourself...please, it's not your fault, Helvete did this, and he'll pay for it" she said as she ran her fingers through Marco's hair, soothing him. Moon stepped forwards and placed a hand on the knight's shoulder "She's right Marco, you've gotta pick yourself up, the men are counting on you to lead them to victory...no matter the cost" She said, drawing a hopeful look from the knight, who nodded before getting up and walking over to the map table.

"In that case, we're gonna need a plan".

 **5 Miles outside of Mewni**

"Hmm, you know it's kind've disappointing" Helvete smugly remarked to his prisoner, who was collapsed on her knees and struggling to catch her breath through the pain. Exhaustedly she strained a response "What's disappointing?". Helvete looked down and mocked an expression of sympathy "Oh poor dog, these long walks really do wear out your animals don't they general" He remarked to the general standing behind, who's dagger tip was now dripping with blood from all the 'motivation' he'd been giving Eclipsa as they forced marched her to the battlefield.

"Yes your imperial majesty, I do believe most beg for water at this point" Kahchi said with a smirk plastered across his face. Helvete smiled approvingly "Well yes they do, such a shame we don't have any to spare". Helvete then turned back to look at the towers of Butterfly castle on the horizon.

"What's disappointing my dear Eclipsa is that I remember the great spires of Mewni as being one of the most majestic and awe inspiring sights in all the kingdoms" He spoke as he looked on at the horizon before turning back to Eclipsa and mockingly laying an arm around her, beckoning her to look upwards at the towers. "But now that I see them, all I see is a kingdom on her last legs, coated with ash and molested by the cruel march of time".

Eclipsa spat some blood onto the ground beside her before speaking "They were majestic, this is your doing you evil bastard" she exhaustedly spat out through the pain that still burned into her back. Helvete laughed as she finished talking, before gripping her throat with his free hand and turning to face her.

"Tut tut Eclipsa, did we not learn our lesson earlier, because I'd be happy to teach you again" he threatened as he twirled the whip handle casually in front of Eclipsa's gaze. She drew back from the sight and shook her head vigorously, panic and fear clear and present in her eyes.

Helvete smiled and stood back up "Good, because to be honest I'd rather be fresh for the upcoming battle" he then pondered to himself for a moment "I do hope that Queen Moon is an actual threat, otherwise this is going to be horribly boring".

Please be okay Star' thought Eclipsa as she looked towards the kingdom 'Please beat this monster into the ground'

Kahchi once again sunk his dagger into Eclipsa's back, drawing a wince of pain as she was snapped out of her thoughts. "Get moving dog, it's almost time for the show" Kahchi ordered as Eclipsa struggled to her feet.

"War rig's forward, Formation Alpha" Kahchi commanded as the great engines of the mechanised war machines roared as they surged forward of the marching troops towards Mewni. "Destroy the outer defences, and bring Mewni crashing to the ground".

 **Butterfly Castle-Outer Defences**

The bombardment started without warning, the overrun outer villages had been fully fitted with over a hundred artillery pieces that now launched the largest and most destructive attack Mewni had ever seen. Thousands of shells raining down upon the carefully constructed defences, as well as the city itself. Churning the landscape until it was unrecognisable.

Inside the bunkers the troops were relatively safe, though the bunkers shook constantly as the landscape was hammered so heavily that noone could even tell the separate blasts apart anymore as they blurred into a single melody of warfare which rang across the lines of battle.

However just as soon as the bombardment started, the guns fell silent. The knights, who were stunned at the sudden silence of the frontlines, crawled out of their bunkers slowly and peaked over at the now annihilated land that they called home.

But they were also greeted with another sight that shook them to their core. They appeared to be metal boxes on wheels, producing a trail of chocking black smoke behind them as they steamed across the landscape. After a few moments a set of black doors swung open on the front of each of the boxes, revelling a Helios soldier inside of each.

When the doors had fully opened the soldiers launched beams of flame from each of the dreadful machines. Striking the ruined trenches and snapping the soldiers out of their trances as they realised that this was simply a new weapon.

The knights began launching blasts towards the machines, but each one resisted the attacks and powered ever closer towards the Mewnian positions. The knights were losing hope but pressed on with their attacks in sheer desperation as more and more of them were hit by the returned fire of the thunderous tools of war.

Marco was the first to act, he'd seen enough of this slaughter and leaped out of the trench, charging towards the war machines. Immediately he fired a huge red blast from the palm of his hand which exploded with the force of cannon fire when it hit the lead machine.

The war rig exploded and was scattered across the battlefeild as shards of debris were blown across the lines. The knights rejoiced and watched as Princess Star, Queen Moon and Prince Tom all took up Marco's bravery and also charged the war rigs from their positions.

The four between them began to shatter the line of mechanised war machines that led the assault on their homeland and before too long had managed to break the first line before spotting the charging Helios ground forces who had been hidden behind the mechanised line.

The four called back to the knights simultaneously, yelling at the top of their lungs together with passion and ferociousness in their voices. "Charge, For Mewni!". The knights cheered and roared the rallying cries of war as they surged forward in a great mass from their trenches. Launching themselves towards the lines and crashing headlong into the Helios forces.

"Thus begins the battle for Mewni" Helvete spoke as he watched the first clash of armies with a growing excitement. Turning finally to Eclipsa, he gripped her once again by the chin and dragged her up to meet his glowing, red eyes.

"You're going to watch this" He said darkly as he directed her eyes towards the battle. "You're going to watch as I kill them all, because it'll be the last thing you'll ever see" before throwing her to the ground and walking with General Kahchi towards the front.

"Come general, let's have some fun".

 **A/N: The battle of Mewni has finally begun in earnest. Now comes the real test of courage, loyalty and strength of Mewni's forces. Can the Butterfly Kingdom hold? Or will they fall under the tyranny of Helvete? Until next time guys :)**

 **A/N: Unfortunately due to work circumstances I wont be able to update until around the 1st of July. Don't wanna leave you guys hanging but no choice on this one, I'll update as soon as possible though :) Thanks for all the feedback and support guys, it means alot :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15-The Butterfly's Descent**

 **Eastern Defences-Front lines**

The battle had broken down into a scene ripped straight from Hell itself. Helios troops advanced on the Mewnian knights shooting jets of flame which consumed all those they hit. Once engulfed, the screams of anguish from the victims curdled the blood of anyone close enough to hear them over the pounding of the distant guns and the rumbling of the war rigs over the battered hellscape.

Explosions ripped and churned the earth below as shells pounded the defences of Mewni, occasionally a group of combatants, both Helios and Mewnian alike, would be tossed high into the air and scattered across the lines of battle by the impacts. Here and there amongst the fight you would be greeted with screaming soldiers, limbs missing and bodies scarred by burns and cuts.

Through all of this the battle raged, both sides had now forgotten their fear, abandoned their emotions. The gates of Hell were open, there was nothing but the horrific song of war as the sounds of battle and rage filled the air into a haunting melody that carried it's way across the wind for miles around. Those who heard it's song could do nothing but carry on it's melody through their own actions, their own rage and bloodlust.

To Helvete, it was a stirring and beautiful melody. A sound that signalled his destiny and revenge were nearing their completion. He was the song's writer, and the conductor of it's performance. He relished in every moment of battle that he could witness as he scanned the scene that most would find sickening and incomprehensible. But that he could only see as the rightful fate of this kingdom he so hated, so wanted to annihilate. He could even now see his daughter's smile restored as he, in his own mind at least, avenged her in the most glorious way he could.

Cutting through his thoughts however, was a new sight before him. A smile crept to his lips and his pupils glowed with a deep red light as he strolled towards the new prey he had found amongst the swirling mass of bodies that were engaged in a desperate fight for survival and victory. "Ah good, I was worried I wouldn't find any of them" Helvete said with pleasure as he strolled through the battle much like most people would walk through the park.

The target of Helvete's gaze soon noticed his approach and readied himself for a fight. "Helvete, so you actually showed up to see the horror you've inflicted? I don't know whether to be impressed or sickened" he spoke as he looked into the Emperor's eyes, now deep red and burning with a power that could intimidate even the most powerful of Mewni's inhabitants.

"Horror Prince Tom?" Helvete spoke with a chuckle in his voice as he stopped in front of the Prince, idly moving a small strand of flame through the fingers of his left hand, letting the strand move in between each of his fingers as it passed back and forth. "You couldn't be further from the truth, can you not see how perfect this is? How the wretched Butterfly family is finally seeing justice done upon it for all they have done against Mewni? Can you not comprehend the beauty in this even with the cleverness I know you posses?" He spoke as if delivering a speech to a crowd, with passion and fire in his voice that could only reveal his convictions behind the terrible words.

"You're insane if you think this is beauty!" Tom accused as he summoned a ring of flames to surround his position, readying for the fight he knew was coming "I don't give a damn anymore what happened to your family or your people, all I care about now is stopping you and taking back my kingdom from my parents, whose minds you've corrupted with darkness and hatred" He yelled as the ring of flames grew around him and his eyes took on a similar glow to Helvete's and he began to float gently above the ground.

"Corrupted?" Helvete scoffed as he summoned small flames to the palms of his hands and positioned himself ready to fight. "I merely told them the truth, they chose to follow me of their own free will, but if you can defeat me then by all means I wish you luck as king of the underworld". Helvete paused as a sadistic grin crept to his lips and he looked Tom dead in the eye. "Such a shame you'll be dead without saying goodbye to them" He uttered before launching a jet of flame towards the waiting Tom.

 **Western Defences-Front lines**

Marco and a small band of knights had cut their way to a strong position in the Helios lines. It was a small hill that offered a good defensive overwatch. However the enemy had also realised this and Marco's band of troops were assaulted constantly. Marco's magic and combat knowledge meant that his knights could hold their ground through it all but he could tell that more was needed to relieve the front lines from the continued assaults of the Helios forces.

Looking to the distance he could see the telltale glow on the horizon of the arrival of the Lucitor army. They had shown up late but they were now coming to assist their allies. "Once that hits, its gonna be really hard to win this thing" Marco muttered to himself between firing blasts down towards the advancing troops.

Marco quickly noticed that Helios was now sending war rigs against his position, Marco launched a series of blasts against them, destroying one but several of his blasts were blocked by the soldiers inside launching jets of flame against his attacks. The blasts cancelled each other out as the fierce machines continued to roll across over everything in their path towards the hill. They crushed scattered armour, weapons and morbidly even bodies strewn across their path as they made an assault on Marco's position.

"Form a line, get ready to engage those rigs!" Marco yelled to his knights. They obeyed, forming a line across the ridge of the hill, pointing lances downwards and firing small blasts from the tips of their weapons towards the advancing forces below. The forces below responded with their own blasts and streams of flames that pounded the front line Marco's knights had formed. This area of the front was holding, but Marco needed to make a decisive blow before the Lucitor forces could arrive.

He looked into the distance at the approaching force. "Not far now, 45 minutes tops" he muttered as he pondered his options. Deciding something drastic was needed to break the assault he leapt over the line and launched dozens of blasts down the hill, charging towards the Helios lines with a bravery and ferocity that only came out of Marco in the most dire of situations.

The Knights saw Marco's actions and launched themselves forward to support their leader, a great battlecry surging from them as they advanced, meeting their enemies in a whirling melee of steel and blood. The Helios forces broke and retreated down the hill towards their lines. Marco rallied his knights back to the top of the hill, but as they reached the top, Marco heard a voice behind him.

"A magnificent charge good sir, you truly do make a worthy opponent for the forces of Helios!" Marco turned to see the face of General Kahchi, standing forward of his troops and clapping with an amused smirk on his face. "I have a proposal for you Sir Marco of Mewni if you'll listen?" He asked to an annoyed looking Marco who drew a sword before turning to fully face Kahchi.

"Unless you're about to surrender and stop this madness I've got no interest in anything you have to say" he fired back, only to be met with an amused look from Kahchi. Kahchi stepped forward a pace, drawing Marco to direct his sword towards him in a threatening gesture.

Kahchi chuckled, his laughter enraging Marco further as he watched. "You wouldn't even listen to me if it meant your men were spared death and dismemberment? If their families would be able to see them again without the pain of burying them?" Kahchi asked. Marco paused as he considered the possibilities. Just what could this man be offering? If he was going to demand surrender then he really was too cocky for his own good, but what else could it be? Hesitantly, Marco ordered his men to draw back slightly before stepping forward, although never letting his sword drop for even a moment.

"I'm listening, but this had better be damn good or you're gonna regret wasting my time" he threatened. Kahchi smiled once more and spoke with pride and conviction present in his voice. Having the posture and presence of a career soldier as he made his offer.

"My proposal good Sir Marco is simply this; You and me in a gentleman's fight, here and now, our armies left out of it and no usage of our magical prowess, simply two soldiers in a fight to the death using their swords! If you best me my army will fall back and abandon the assault, if you fall then I expect the same from your forces, what do you think?" Kahchi proposed to a bemused looking Marco.

It's true that just him and Kahchi fighting would spare his troops, but he didn't actually expect Marco's troops to surrender if he fell? Kahchi's troops surely wouldn't just up and retreat if Marco won either right? But all things considered, if he fought Kahchi and won, Helios wouldn't have a commander, if that happened then Marco and his knights could force their lines to collapse and snatch victory.

Marco sighed "It's worth the risk I guess" he thought to himself before looking towards Kahchi and firing back "Fine, I'll fight you, but even if im not using magic don't you dare underestimate me you understand?". Kahchi simply grinned in a way that much resembled Helvete's own, if only for a moment.

"Of course Sir Marco, we are both men of honour are we not? I wouldn't dream of underestimating Mewni's commander, let us have a battle all of history will remember"

 **Eastern Defences-Front lines**

Flames scorched the landscape and shot through the sky and Tom and Helvete exchanged blows in their battle. Each one having a counter for the others attack, their control of fire seeming to be equal. Tom attempted to use anything else that he thought might beat Helvete as he summoned great blocks of black stone from the underworld to launch at his opponent. Helvete met each one with a direct strike from his palm, shattering the giant slabs into thousands of shards which launched outwards into the fields surrounding.

Helvete began to laugh through his continuous attacks. "You know I'm impressed, what I said to your parents was true enough you know Tom!" he yelled as he summoned a dozen small balls of flame that resembled miniature suns and launched them at Tom's position in a barrage of powerful blasts. Tom summoned a shield of flames which took the impact of the blasts and saved Tom from their effects. He could however still hear Helvete's voice come from outside his shield over the noise of the impacts.

"Our people have a shared history all right, that much is true, but would you like to know the reality of our relationship before you perish?" Helvete launched into the air and brought an axe kick down onto Tom's shield, shattering it and exposing Tom to a close range blast of flames which sent him flying back across the field.

Strolling over to Tom's position Helvete continued his monologue. "Your people were once...well I prefer to call them servants but lets call a spade a spade shall we? You were our slaves, serving in the pits of our grand mines and in the fires of our grand forges". Tom's was furious at this comment and launched a mass of flames towards Helvete.

Helvete split the beam of flame in two, shielding his positioning and allowing the great mass to shoot behind him into the landscape as he continued to advance on Tom. "One day a revolt occurred, your people had clearly had enough of their treatment and decided to rebel against their restraints" Helvete fired a series of blasts at Tom, who countered with his own blasts and blocks as best he could.

"During this revolt, some of your people escaped and formed the Lucitor kingdom in Mewni, a weak and pathetic shanty town pretending to be a proud nation" He continued as he summoned a whip of fire and launched it towards Tom. Tom avoided the lash of the whip but it instead caught hold of his leg. Try as he might Tom could not free his leg before He began to be dragged up into the sky by the whip as Helvete tugged on it.

"We considered wiping you out, but the Butterfly Kingdom protected you and my weakling father decided against going to war over, as he called them 'troublesome workers'". Helvete violently tugged on the whip and slammed Tom's body into the ground with a sickening crack. Tom struggled to his feet but suddenly winced in pain and gripped his ribs.

"Broken, that's really not good" He muttered to himself before looking back towards the advancing figure of Helvete. "I suppose it now falls to me to fix the mistake, your parents will soon know to bow to me once again, and those like you who rebel against us...well, I suppose you're about to find out what happens to those people" Helvete grinned a sadistic grin and his eyes glowed even brighter than before.

Helvete launched a blast of flames at Tom which Tom attempted to block. Pain shot through him as his midsection screamed with the strain of his efforts against Helvete's attack. Despite the pain he was holding off the attack and managed to dissipate it. However when the flames cleared they revealed Helvete had closed the distance between the two of them.

Tom's reactions weren't fast enough, as he became aware of Helvete's new position, he felt a fist slam into his ribcage and another sickening crack was heard as he flew backwards from the impact. Now on his knees he coughed blood onto the ground below him.

Was this it? He couldn't really die here could he? Not like this, not to this sadistic maniac who had hurt so many. Tom wouldn't be able to avenge those he'd killed. Wouldn't be able to save his friends like he had promised. His thoughts were drawn to Marco and Star suffering at the hands of this maniac. Marco battered and bruised, streams of blood flowing from multiple wounds on his body. Star across from him, beaten up but her torture was so much more psychological as Helvete forced her to watch her love murdered before her eyes. Streams of tears flowing down her cheeks as she looked on and begged for it all to stop.

"No!" Tom yelled as his eyes regained their glow and a deep red aura flowed over his body. "I won't let that happen, as long as I breathe I won't let you harm anyone else!" His voice became demonic and booming as his anger took over his body. Most times when this happened, Tom became uncontrollable and would attack friend and foe alike. But now his single-mindedness at stopping Helvete focused his anger into a pinpoint. All of this rage, all of this hate and power. All of it would be directed towards Helvete.

"Oh this is getting good" Helvete said with a smile "I had hoped you wouldn't be boring my dear demonic prince and you aren't going to disappoint!" He floated lightly above the ground and summoned a mass of flames around him awaiting Tom's attack.

"Let's see just how much you care about saving your friends shall we?"

 **Western Defences-Hilltop**

The blades clashed hard as their fight began. Marco going toe to toe against General Kahchi. The surrounding armies watched on in anticipation of the aftermath, both lines of troops silent save for the odd cry of encouragement which was met with hushes by the surrounding troops who knew this was too important for such childlike cheering to get in the way of.

Marco used a single broadsword that he carried at all times, he had trained well with it over the years, still preferring to use weapons over magic whenever he could. His sword skills had become second to none over the years and he was holding his own against Kahchi.

Kahchi himself was also known as the best swordsman in Helios, as dangerous with a blade as Helvete was with the flame. His weapon of choice; a duel pair of Hook swords. He was well versed with these weapons, using their hooks practically during battle to shatter swords and drag his opponents around with the hooks embedded in their bodies as though they were chunks of beef in a butchers shop.

The blades clashed continuously as the two men circled each other and demonstrated their skills against one another. Marco was giving up ground however as he couldn't get close enough to Kahchi to do damage due to the second sword he wielded, Kahchi could easily block Marco's attacks with one sword and attempt a counter attack with his free blade. Only Marco's finely tuned reactions saved him from being sliced up on numerous occasions.

The men's blades clashed once again, Kahchi's hooked blades catching Marco's sword and locking it between them. The two men now used their own strength to struggle for superiority. "I rarely get an actual challenge you know, I'm starting to really understand why my emperor insists on entering these duels in this war" Kahchi said through the struggle.

Marco scoffed at the comment "He's just a lunatic who happens to be in charge of a kingdom, it isn't about a challenge, he just wants to kill" He fired back at Kahchi, expecting a passionate and angered defence of Helvete. But Kahchi shrugged slightly as he tried to push Marco back from the struggle. The two men separated and exchanged a few more blows before cautiously circling each other again.

"Perhaps this is just a matter of killing for him, he's made no secret of what he's going to do to you all" Kahchi said before launching another strike which Marco blocked, again locking their swords into a struggle for supremacy. "But still, considering that his daughter was claimed by Eclipsa's attack I can't say I blame him for wanting to kill her and the rest of you"

With that statement Marco's sword snapped under the pressure of the clash between the men, causing the two to separate. Marco looked at his sword in shock, but quickly regained his senses as he dodged a slash from Kahchi. Kahchi began laughing as he started launching wild flails towards Marco. "So begins the end Sir Marco! Let's see how long you can avoid me shall we?" He yelled as he continued his flurry of attacks.

Marco dodged as best he could, on occasion Kahchi's blades caught Marco's uniform, tearing it up and causing Marco to try to gain distance between him and Kahchi. Suddenly seeing an opening, Marco dodged the latest attack by rolling towards Kahchi and using the remnant of his sword to slice into Kahchi's exposed ribs.

Kahchi drew back in pain and yelled towards Marco in anger "You're going to pay for that bastard peasant!" he shouted before launching a blast towards Marco. Marco blocked the blast with a summoned shield.

Chuckling to himself he sarcastically remarked "So I take it the 'Gentlemanly rules' are being dropped then?". Kahchi looked at Marco, sheer anger in his eyes before looking back towards his troops "Slaughter them all, I will not be mocked by a peasant knight!". The troops behind rallied with a cry of war before closing the distance and charging the Mewnian Knights.

Marco through the fight watched Kahchi retreat back to his rear lines, holding his wound as he ran. Marco smirked and turned to continue the fight. He stopped dead however at the sight before him. "Oh god no...".

 **Eastern Defences-Front lines**

Helvete launched himself around the battlespace, avoiding attack after attack from Tom's enraged form. Despite his constant avoidance of combat, the emperor had a permanent expression of sadistic excitement on his face as he continuously dodged Tom's rage-fuelled attacks.

"Yes Tom! This is what I've been waiting for! A real fight, a real challenge! I want to enjoy killing you!" He yelled before launching a volley of fireballs towards Tom's floating form. The blasts hit home and did minor damage but only seemed to enrage Tom further. Tom was now struggling to maintain control and direct his anger as the inner demons consumed more and more control over his body.

Helvete launched attack after attack as he dodged, forcing Tom to attempt to block and counter attack with little success. Tom launched 5 separate beams of fire from each of his limbs and one from his mouth, forming a star of flames in the skies of Mewni. Each beam arched and shot towards Helvete. Helvete dodged 2 of the beams, allowing them to fall behind him and smash into the clashing armies.

Firing his own blasts he managed to cancel out 2 more of the beams when they impacted his blasts. The shockwaves from the colliding attacks ripping through the nearby landscape and sending nearby troops sprawling to the floor with burst eardrums.

The final beam approached Helvete, realising he had no time to launch a counter strike, he extended his arm forward and braced himself into the ground, catching the beam in his palm. On impact the beam split around Helvete's form, scorching the ground behind him and silluetting his figure against the wall of fire and light. He advanced forward inside the beam, pushing against it's power with his own. Eventually the beam dissipated and Helvete grinned sadistically once more.

"Damn, that one actually hurt a little" he said with a cocky tone in his voice. "Gonna have to punish you for that one young prince" he spoke before generating a small flame in his palm. "Try this on for size" he muttered before launching a wall of blue flames towards Tom's floating figure. The flames engulfing Tom as they impacted.

Internally Tom was fighting just as hard to maintain his grip on reality and continue to be an ally to Mewni instead of a risk to it's safety. With each comment from Helvete, with each impact from his attacks, his demons seized more and more control and he strayed further and further from reality and rationality.

Helvete could see Tom was starting to lose himself in his anger, as Tom's form launched attacks on nearby knights and Helios soldiers alike, focusing less and less on Helvete. Helvete shot forward through the air and landed another strike against Tom's ribs, sending him sprawling to the floor. Helvete launched a beam of fire through Tom's stomach, impaling him with the blast.

Tom's eyes lost their glow and he collapsed to the floor. The fight was drained out of him, his endurance had failed him against Helvete and now he was defenceless against the tyrant's cruelty. Helvete walked over, grabbing Tom's arm and holding it up. "Well Tom, that was indeed fun, but I suppose this is the end for you" he remarked before placing a foot on Tom's shoulder and stamping downwards, snapping Tom's shoulder with a sickening crack as his arm twisted and warped behind the boy's back.

Tom screamed as the pain shot through his body like a lightning bolt. When Helvete released his arm, Tom immediately dragged himself away with his working limbs, trying in vain to put distance between himself and this maniac. Helvete summoned a small ball of flame to his fingertip and pointed towards Tom. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell your parents you died with honour, I've always been good at lying like that" He chuckled.

Tom closed his eyes and awaited his fate, but suddenly heard the noise of a blast. His eyes opened wide to see Helvete had been blasted backwards and was now looking behind the prince with anger and venom in his eyes. Tom looked up to see his saviour's face above him.

"Queen Moon!" He yelled, relieved as Moon glanced down towards him. "Don't worry Tom, he won't harm you anymore" she said gently before directing her gaze at Helvete.

"Your fight is with me now, leave him out of it is that clear!?" she yelled towards the imposing figure. Helvete's angered expression faded and he chuckled as he spoke "Why my dear Queen Moon" His eyes glowed brightly and the marks on his cheeks shone like the sun they represented "I wouldn't have it any other way".

Moon scoffed and her eyes and cheeks glowed white. Her beautiful blue wings flew out from her back and her additional arms sprouted from her form as she summoned her butterfly form in anticipation of the fight. "I won't be holding anything back Helvete, I'll make you pay for this sickening attack on my kingdom" she said with anger as she floated above the ground, a glow radiating out from her form as she shone with power and beauty.

Helvete merely smiled and said coldly "If that's the case, I guess I won't hold back either" he said as a red aura consumed his form. Moon's nerves gripped her as she noticed the air around her becoming heavy and felt as though it was boiling. Flying became harder and harder as the heat and the weight of the air intensified.

Looking down towards Helvete she could see his hair had turned a deep red and the aura around him glowed brightly, expanding further and further. The closer it got to her the more the air's density intensified. His mere presence was displaying more power than she could have imagined anyone would have, or even could have.

Helvete's eyes opened to reveal a deep red and glowing iris surrounding white pupils. The pupils seemed to radiate, as though an intense and blazing fire hotter than the sun itself was behind them. As he did this a shockwave shot across the battlefield, slamming into the lines of troops and sending many sprawling to the ground and shattering the remaining windows the butterfly kingdom had. Many of the soldiers ceased fighting as they watched the spectacle before them. Fear and deep dread in the faces of Mewnian and Helios soldier alike.

The lines of battle stopped entirely, as both sides awaited the results of the battle between the two leaders. On his defensive hill, Marco witnessed the intense power of Helvete, having just finished his fight with Kahchi. "Oh god no" he uttered as he looked on in horror towards the scene. He locked eyes with Star who nodded at him, he nodded back and the two began running to help Moon.

"So my dear Queen Moon" Helvete spoke in a booming, demonic sounding voice which worked it's way down into her very soul with it's power. Queen Moon stepped back slightly and fear gripped her as she looked on the face of this, demonic and powerful foe she now faced.

Helvete extended a hand outwards, pointing a finger towards Moon. "Let us begin" he said before a sharp blast shot towards Queen Moon. Moon could barely dodge the attack in time, it was so fast she couldn't follow it. When she looked back towards Helvete he had closed the distance and struck her across the face, launching her back into one of the defensive towers that Mewni had built to defend from the attack. The tower collapsed with the force of the impact.

Moon thought quickly and used her magic to launch the falling stones towards Helvete, but he simply punched each of them into shards as they flew towards him. He looked down towards the, already beat up and wounded, Moon with a horrifying expression of glee on his face. "I don't get to use my full power much you know, it's got this terrible problem you see" he uttered with a confident and gleeful tone in his demonic, soul crushing voice.

"That being that everytime I seem to use it, someone dies" He said before launching forward and delivering a swift knee into Moon's stomach. Moon doubled over in pain and screamed as her ribs were crushed by the impact. Blood spewed from her mouth and her eyes lost their glow, her wings falling limp against her back as their strength waned.

"Eugh, I always hated bugs you know" Helvete spoke again. "As I boy I used to do something as a game, now what was it?" He questioned as he mockingly pondered the passtime. As if having a lightbulb moment he suddenly smiled approvingly "Ah yes that was it, I used to do this!" He yelled as he gripped Moon's wings and tore them from her back with a disgusting rip.

Moon's screams echoed across the battlefield as Helvete held her wings above her broken body. He grinned a sickening smile and looked over to the cage on the nearby hill where Eclipsa was looking on,her mouth covered and tears in her eyes, her head shaking as if to beg Helvete to stop.

Helvete burned Moon's severed wings in his hands and looked back down towards the broken Queen. "Well my dear Moon, this would be where I end it, but firstly you're going to point out where your daughter and her little knight is?".

Before Moon could answer, Helvete heard a yell from the crowd of knights "Stop! That's enough, don't you dare touch her again!" he turned to see Marco and Star approaching him. He dropped Queen Moon and mockingly turned towards the couple.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to kill the family while they're separated, that's cruelty worthy of...well...Eclipsa" He said darkly.

Moon, now sprawled on the ground looked towards Tom who managed to crawl to his knees.

"Run" she said before using the last of her power to open a portal and forcing it to swallow Tom's form. As Helvete turned to see what was happening, Moon re-directed the portal to Star and Marco, having it swallow their forms before she closed it.

"I'm sorry Star, but you have to survive, I know you'll hate it..But at least this way, you might be able to save the kingdom someday" she said before finally fainting.

The Mewnian Knights dropped their weapons in despair and were seized by the Helios forces. Helvete stood over the crumpled body of Queen Moon. "Foolish Queen, I've broken your allies, I've seized your kingdom" he spoke as he directed some knights to pick up Moon's unconscious form "and soon, I'll have you, Eclipsa, the Princess and her pathetic toy knight executed at my feet".

The troops exulted as Moons body was carried away. "Mewni has fallen! Praise Helios! All glory to the Emperor!"

 **A/N: Mewni has fallen, Moon is captured and the remainder of our hero's have been sent away in defeat. What will become of Mewni under the tyranny of Helios. Can our hero's save the kingdom from the jaws of defeat? Will anyone come to their aid? Until next time guys**

 **2nd A/N: Good news guys, this chapter and the next were planned out during my week away, so I should be able to give a second update fairly soon :) Hope you're enjoying the story so far and continue to do so as it progresses, till next time :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16-The Lost Girl**

Star slammed on the wall where the portal had sealed before her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wept uncontrollably. "No mum! Fucking dammit no! Why'd you send us away!?" She screamed through the tears, the wall shuddering and the paintwork cracking with each anger fuelled slam of her fists into it.

Tom was in a nearby corner of the room they'd appeared in, barely conscious due to his wounds and tears flowing down his own face. "I failed..." he said quietly to himself "she...she fell protecting me because I couldn't bring down that monster...". Tom's lament on his battle with Helvete only brought despair, that despair overwhelmed the pain shooting through his body at every moment as he could see Moon's defeat replay in his mind over and over again. Each time it played, it only seemed worse and more gruesome to watch.

Star's wailing and anger subsided into sobbing as she collapsed against the wall, pleading to a mother she knew could not hear her. "Please...please come back...don't die...". Marco solemnly walked over to his princess and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. This drew Star to look up through her soft blue eyes, now hidden behind streams of liquid that flowed down her cheeks like a river and dripped down onto her skirt.

"We'll get her back Star" Marco reassured the girl as he knelt down to meet her gaze. "I promise you we'll save Moon and make that bastard pay for everything" he said, his eyes showing the seriousness of his words. Star sniffed and threw herself into Marco, holding him close and sobbing quietly into his shoulder. Marco held her gently and stroked his hand through her long, golden hair, reassuring and shushing her as she wept.

After a few moments Star looked back up towards Marco, her eyes red from tears and quivering with sadness as she attempted to speak. "Promise me you'll stay by my side Marco...I just...I can't lose you too...I couldn't...I..." her eyes began to well up again as she attempted to speak. Marco held her close once again and softly whispered into her ear. "You won't lose me Star, I love you, and I'll never be anywhere but by your side through everything". Star nodded into Marco's shoulder and the two kissed softly, tears of sadness and love mixing together as they did.

When they separated, Marco stood up and gently helped Star to her feet. Looking towards Tom the pair walked over and both held him up, carrying him as they walked. "First things first Star, we've gotta get Tom some help, Helvete messed him up bad" Marco said, concern deep in his voice as he viewed Tom's wounds, especially the hole where Helvete had fired a blast through the prince's stomach. Marco wincing at the sight "Damn, that must've hurt" he thought to himself as they carried Tom out of the room.

They left the room and looked around in shock at where Moon had sent them. "No way" Marco said as he took in the sights around him. Hundreds of people walking through a palace-like shopping centre with every store and attraction you could imagine amidst a backdrop of golden walls and glistening marble flooring. After having experienced the horrors of war and devastation, you could easily mistake it for heaven itself.

"Mum, sent us here?" Star whispered to Marco as they observed the magnificent scene before them, she then got a tad flustered and said with a light blush "..Our first date" she whispered. This drew a small chuckle from Marco as he remembered that day 2 years ago. "First kiss too" he replied flirtily with a small smile towards the sapphire-eyed princess who giggled in reply. For a small moment they forgot about the horror and suffering they had experienced, and only the happiest of memories flooded their minds.

But all too soon the illusion was shattered when Tom in his weakened state coughed and spluttered as a thin drool of blood escaped his mouth. Shocked back into reality, Star and Marco rushed Tom to a nearby medical centre. The nurses inside immediately rushed the prince into theatre and told Star and Marco to occupy themselves for a while while the doctors worked, they'd be informed when they could visit Tom.

Leaving the centre, the couple pondered on what to do next. They looked at each other at their mirroring expressions of concern and nervousness, with the kingdom lost and Tom incapable of helping them for the time being, it seemed they were stuck for a plan. "We should find somewhere to eat" Marco said finally, looking around for a quiet looking place in the sea of people who were darting between the shops, restaurants and other various attractions that dotted the great halls of this grand place.

"Food at this time Marco?" Star questioned but Marco responded quickly to her line of questioning. "We need to make a plan Star, and finding a quiet place to do that would be in our best interests right now" he said as he took the girl's hand and pulled her lightly towards a small cafe he'd spotted in the far corner of the hall. Star nodded and together they entered the small cafe, choosing a quiet table in the corner and sitting down to discuss their next move.

 **Butterfly Kingdom-Morning after surrender of Mewni**

The pounding of bootheels on the paved central street of Mewni echoed over the conglomeration of sounds that came from the crowd watching the military parade of the victorious forces. Sobbing mothers and wives, many clutching their children close and shielding them from the troops that goose stepped their way through the conquered and cracked streets.

The remainder of the Mewnian knights were marched with them, weaponless and bound together in chains like common prisoners. A demonstration of an army "too weak and vacillating to be worthy of the title of knight" in Helvete's words, their armour stripped and their injuries untreated as they were publicly humiliated before those they'd failed to protect.

The route through the city had been lined with Helios flags which were draped from the buildings along the entire route to butterfly castle, which had also been fully decorated with the colours of the victorious forces. Atop it's once serene and glittering central tower, now made dull by the ash and damage of war, was Helvete standing proud overlooking his forces.

He stood on the same balcony that every monarch of Mewni had once stood, previous queens had delivered stirring and hopeful speeches and rallying cries from this twinkling perch. He loved every minute of it, relishing in just how far he'd brought his empire, how complete his revenge and capture of the kingdom he had so long hated had been.

But he knew something was still missing, a final piece of the puzzle if you like. Yes, something was definitely bothering him, even as he stood at the top as the single most powerful man in Mewni. Even with a captured Eclipsa, his most hated enemy whose every breath was an insult on Helvete and the memories he held of his sweet daughter, and a captured and broken Moon, who had been ripped from her throne as her wings had been ripped from her back.

Helvete chuckled at that comparison in his mind, it fit pretty well for the situation. But no, despite all his gains there was one more thing he had to finish before he could relish and enjoy any of it. "Those three..." He said to himself as he pondered Star, Marco and Tom's escape from his grasp. "This isn't won until they hang from the trees outside my new palace".

A voice came from behind him. "Forgive me your imperial highness, but the troops have formed up before the palace and await your words" the voice spoke with the dignification of an officer and Helvete instantly knew it's source. "Yes thank you general" he said as he came back to the present before smirking and asking sarcastically "Tell me, how's that wound coming?" he said turning to face the General.

Kahchi was standing before his emperor in ceremonial uniform. A black tailcoat, adorn with the many medals which denoted his battle honours, accompanied by a set of black trousers with a golden lace down their side. His black, gold laced epaulette's on each shoulder embroidered with a golden crown sitting atop a pair of crossed golden batons surrounded by a wreath of vines. A golden aiguillette which was weaved into a beautiful looking cord which hung down in a loop from back to front of his left shoulder, the lowest point of the loop reaching the bottom of his chest.

He winced slightly in resentment of the cruel comment Helvete had made, glancing down to his right side at his ribs. It wasn't obvious under his uniform but he had been bandaged up well after his fight with Marco, the slice on his side wasn't too deep, but it was deep enough to cause Kahchi pain whenever he moved as a result. The hatred for Marco overtook Kahchi for a moment, causing him to forget himself. "I won't rest until that bastard is dead at my feet" he spoke with an anger in his voice and his fist clenching at his side.

Helvete laughed at the comment and approached the general, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get your chance general, but if I were you I'd get some additional practice in before you decide to underestimate him again" he said as through his chuckle before once again turning serious. "What have I told you about over estimating yourself general? What did I tell you was always the result of thinking you can always win?" Helvete said, as if a father scolding his disobedient child.

Kahchi lowered his head in shame and spoke softly and submissively, unable to meet the gaze of the emperor. "Over estimation of one's self breeds over confidence in one's own abilities, under these conditions, battle is always lost by one who does not take his opponent seriously your imperial majesty". Helvete nodded his head "Exactly in those words if my memory serves, so it's clear your memory has not faded, I can only assume that your victories for the empire have made you cocky, and that cockiness nearly cost you your life" Helvete turned towards the balcony and began walking towards it.

Kahchi followed behind and stood at the doorway to the balcony behind the emperor, who stood at the front centre of the balcony in preparation to speak to his troops. The troops below, upon seeing their emperor, came to attention and the commanders of the divisions each saluted the emperor. Helvete returned the salute and commanded the divisions to stand at ease before he began to speak.

"My most loyal and brave soldiers, yesterday is a day that shall forever be burned into the annals of history, yesterday our mighty and unbreakable army and air corps brought destruction to the hated butterfly family, the former city of which we now stand proudly" He began to a roaring cheer from his troops, the Mewnian citizens looking on with mixed looks of anger and despair, the fight taken out of them and their spirits broken by the loss of their beloved Queen and Princess.

"But we must not stain the glory of this victory by acting as oppressors to our new brethren, we must remember that the role of oppressor is a butterfly virtue. Is this how a citizen of Helios would act!?" Helvete asked to a resounding cry of "Never!" from his soldiers below as they continued to drink in the emperor's every word. The Mewnians didn't believe a word of it, and their anger continued to stew with each syllable that escaped Helvete's lips.

"No it is not how any upstanding citizen or soldier of Helios would act. Death to our enemies and benevolent to our friends, this is the nature of our great empire my brothers. The Butterfly family were our enemies, but the citizens of Mewni are now our friends, brothers and sisters. We are a family, and a family does not cast out or shun their own, we shall welcome them with open arms shall we not!?" He once again implored to the crowd below, the soldiers once again rallying with a cry of "We shall! We shall welcome them!".

"I am proud to hear such acceptance from you my loyal soldiers, most mark pride as a bad trait in a leader, however I would ask what leader could not look down upon an army and an empire such as this, built by the labour and toil of a strong people and not feel a great pride as I feel now" He extended his arms outwards, gesturing towards the column of troops below him.

"This, is the legacy of Helios, the ultimate liberation of the once oppressed and weak Mewni, now they are a part of a new world. A world where we can all as one people grow prosperous and strong together. A world, that my sweet Tamia would have been able to live happily in, bless her soul" He said with a look of pride and remembrance in his face.

The soldiers cheered below "Glory to Princess Tamia, Glory to the Resting Princess!" the men cheered as the officers bowed their heads and removed their caps in respect, Kahchi included. This show of respect softened Helvete, if only for a moment as he took a moment to remember his daughter's face before returning to his speech.

"So to my brave and unrelenting armies, my intelligent and steadfast engineers, and the brilliant boys serving in the blimps of the Imperial air corps, I can only say this on behalf of the entire empire and the territories you have liberated here; We cannot thank you enough!" He finished to a colossal roar of the soldiers below. The Mewmans below simply stewing in resent and despair as the speech finished, too frightened and broken to engage the cheering soldiers in their streets.

Helvete turned on his heel and strolled back towards the door, Kahchi saluting the emperor as he passed. "An excellent speech your imperial majesty, but forgive me, you seem troubled by something?" the general questioned as he followed the emperor inside the palace.

"This isn't truly finished yet general, we still have enemies yet to face Helios justice" he remarked as he strolled into Moon's office, studying the desk that had once belonged for generations to the monarch of Mewni and the artefacts and documents strewn across it.

Kahchi thought for a moment "You're referring to Prince Tom, Princess Star and..." Kahchi paused as his anger once again became present, his fresh wound burning with the thought of the knight responsible "Marco Diaz..." he said with a seething anger.

Helvete nodded "Yes general, this isn't complete until they have been captured, it is important to bring down the family together, that will complete the final subjugation of Mewni as their final hope for salvation falls" he spoke as he pondered a book on the Butterfly family history.

"They'll be captured your imperial majesty, I have already been studying a lead as to where they could've been sent" Kahchi said, drawing Helvete's attention.

"And where is that general?" Helvete asked with interest, placing down the book on the desk and viewing the map, ready to immediately search for his enemies location.

"The Johanson kingdom your imperial majesty, it is the last bastion that is friendly to the butterfly family, it being the seat of King River's family" Kahchi replied "I have arranged a plan of attack for the kingdom that should secure the enemy alive so that you may fulfil your wishes and finally achieve the revenge for our fair Princess Tamia's demise".

Helvete looked upon the map on Moon's desk, his eyes locking onto the Johansen kingdom's location. "Good" he said darkly before slamming a knife through the image of the kingdom.

 **Boggabah Cafe-Interdimensional Shopping Centre**

Star and Marco sat at a small table lit in the corner of the quiet cafe. The cafe was populated only by the barista, A teenage girl with deep red hair who sat at a table on her own, writing in a notebook and occasionally sipping on a cup of coffee next to her. There was also an elderly couple in the other corner, who Marco couldn't help but notice had a lot of parallels with Star and himself. The wife being being blonde and cheerful, the husband more serious but still laughed pleasantly with his wife as the pair's hands stayed locked together.

Marco smiled briefly, wondering what it'd be like to grow old like that alongside Star. Taking a look at the beautiful, golden haired girl sitting before him, he thought about how much he wanted that. He quickly stirred himself from these thoughts however, there was Mewni to retake before they could even think about that.

Star spoke out of the blue. "Boggabah.." she said to herself as she played with a spoon idly. Marco raised and eyebrow as he heard Star's comment. "Errm, Star?" he asked, shocking Star out of her daydream. She dropped the spoon in shock as the illusion fell around her and she snapped back into reality. "huh? what?" she said as she looked around her confused.

Marco quickly took hold of her hands in his own and reassured her "Star, Star it's fine, you were kinda daydreaming there thats all" he chuckled as her their fingers intertwined. Star blushed heavily and looked away trying to hide it, much to Marco's delight as he found it really cute whenever Star blushed.

"Sorry Marco, it's just, a few years ago my dad took me hunting for something called the 'Bogbeast of Boggabah', brought back some memories is all" she said as she looked back at the boy before her. Marco smiled and said jokingly "You catch it?". Star smiled, remembering the events of that night.

"Well I thought I was going to, rushed out and tried to capture the thing quickly, but..." She paused and giggled lightly at the memory "I fell into some mud and sank down to my neck, then my dad and his hunting buddies burst out of nowhere, revealing that I was the Bogbeast of Boggabah, its some old tradition in the Johansen family" she finished as she smiled, before a small tear rolled down her cheek.

Marco, growing concerned, wiped the tear from his Princess's cheek. "Star?" He said softly, cradling her cheek in his hand, she placed her hand on his and sniffed. "Sorry, sorry it's just..." she paused and rested her head into Marco's arm. "It's difficult to remember the things from before Mewni...and Helvete and...mum..." Star's tears began to fall again as Marco quickly embraced her, cradling her head gently in his arms and letting her cry into his shoulder.

"I know Star" He whispered into her ear "But that's all the more reason we've gotta plan a way to beat him now". He gently lifted her chin till her eyes met his, "We've gotta beat him so that our future can be happy, peaceful and bright" he said with a gentle smile. Star smiled back before leaning forward to kiss the knight. Their kiss as impassioned as ever, filled with a million emotions that mixed into a single feeling between them.

As they parted, Marco heard the elderly women at the other table speak. "Oh how sweet, remember when we were like that Steven?" She said with a sweet voice that seemed motherly. The old man chuckled "Young love, just like that time at the beach right Connie?" he said jokingly, causing a small blush from the elderly women as she playfully slapped his arm.

Star and Marco giggled, both blushing heavily at the comments. Before going back to their plans. "Right, so first thing's first...we need allies" Marco said, turning serious again as he attempted to think of just how Helvete could be defeated.

"Well that's true Marco but just who are we supposed to get? Helvete already captured some of the strongest people in Mewni as well as the entire army!" Star said as she sank back in her chair, trying to think. "We could find the magical high commission, but that's only like, 3 more people" she remarked casually.

"Well, three is a good start, River will be at the Johansen kingdom still, so we'll need to see if we can get them to help us" Marco said pondering as he started writing a list of potential allies, only to find the list was stupidly short.

"Doesn't earth have armies that can help us?" Star asked, hopeful "They have technology that Helvete could never compete with!". Marco shook his head "Earth armies aren't going to go and fight a war in a dimension that they don't know exists and whose fate doesn't affect them" he said with a sadness in his voice "trust me that was my first thought when this all started, but Earth will not help us, hell they may even think we're crazy for asking and lock us up in a mental hospital" he said with a grimace.

Star sighed "Well, I guess we're stuck with the Johansens and the magical high commission...what's left of it" she said glumly. Marco sighed too, "Yeah without Moon and Eclipsa the commission is..." He stopped suddenly and dropped his pen onto the table. Star, concerned now questioned the boy "Marco!? Marco what is it!?" she asked franticly.

"Eclipsa" Marco said quietly, causing Star to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Marco, what about Eclipsa?" Star asked, now very confused by Marco's thinking and reaction.

"Star, 300 years ago when Eclipsa first fought Helios, what did she use!?" Marco asked the girl, his eyes wide and the look on his face was like he had suddenly realized something that should've been obvious from the start.

Star still confused answered "Well...she used Globgor and his monsters, where is this going Marco?" she asked taking the boy's hand. Marco excitedly gripped Star's hand tightly "Star don't you see? The monsters, thats where we get our allies, there are thousands of them, and if Eclipsa was frozen for loving a monster, wouldn't it make sense that her monster love was frozen too!?".

Star's eyes widened as she realised what Marco was saying "Marco...you're not suggesting that...we find and free Globgor!?" she said with shock, not quite believing Marco was suggesting such a thing.

Marco smiled, "That's exactly what I'm suggesting Star, we find Rhombulus and get him to release the monsters he's got contained in his dimension, Globgor included if my hunch is right, you find Buff Frog and call him to help us" Marco clapped his hands together as he finished his plan "Like that we have a powerful army that can liberate Mewni and stop Helvete".

Star was nervous about the plan "This is a long shot Marco" she said quietly, thinking on everything that could possibly go wrong, Marco gently took her hand again and said softly. "Star, this is the only chance we've got, We gotta try right?". Star looked into the boy's eyes, how had she met this amazing, brave and incredible boy? She couldn't help but love him more dearly than anyone she'd ever met. Smiling once again she pecked Marco on the cheek. "Okay Marco, I trust you" She said sweetly "Let's try it!".

Marco smiled and blushed lightly as he placed a hand to his cheek, drawing a giggle from Star. "Still getting embarrassed when your girlfriend kisses you on the cheek Marco?" she teased as the blush on the boy's face grew deeper. "I can't help that I like it Star" he defended before taking Star's hand lightly as the pair stood up together. "Come on, let's see how Tom is getting along" Star nodded and the pair began to walk out of the cafe.

As they got close to the door, the girl who had been sitting alone at a nearby table stood in front of them. "So you two are planning to take on Helvete huh?" she said bluntly, drawing a cautious look from the couple.

"Yeah? He's invaded my home, my kingdom, he's gotta pay for it, whats it matter to you?" Star questioned with a hostile tinge to her voice, ready to fight should this be one of his loyalists who had been hearing them talk. To Star's surprise the girl looked up towards them, allowing the pair to get a good look at her.

The girl was very pretty, with deep red hair that flowed down to the middle of her back, tied into a single ponytail. Her eyes were a scarlet red and glistened lightly as she stared at the couple and she was dressed in a pair of black trousers and a black shirt that Marco could see was lightly armoured through the use of black leather plates. She also visibly carried four daggers, two on each side of her hips with a further two strapped to each of her thighs.

"It matters to me because I want to help you, I know his weaknesses better than anyone" she said with a serious tone as her and Star stared each other out. Star didn't trust this girl one bit and asked her point blank "And just who are you, why do you know so much about him!?".

The girl didn't flinch at the hostility, almost as if she had expected it. She looked at the pair through her scarlet eyes, as if sizing them up before revealing who she was.

"My name is Tamia" She said plainly "I'm Helvete's daughter".

 **A/N: Helvete plans for his final victory over the butterfly family as his long lost daughter joins Star and Marco to take him down. Can Tamia be trusted? Does she really know the secret of defeating Helvete? and will the monsters of Mewni help free the kingdom? Until next time guys :)**

 **2nd A/N: The story finally has proper cover art, produced by a friend of mine, do tell me what you think :) Thanks for the continued support guys, seems alot of you didn't expect Mewni to lose the battle though? But rest assured the war is not over yet :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17-An unknown past**

Star and Marco stood, dumbstruck for a moment. Staring wide-eyed at the red haired girl who had just stonefacedly claimed to be the daughter of Helvete and even stranger, that she wanted to join them in bringing him down. Marco noticed an anger in Star's eyes as she placed a hand on her wand but Marco reacted quickly, placing gripping Star's arm before she could use the wand.

Star looked at Marco, both surprised and hurt. "Marco! What are you doing!? This is the daughter of the man who just destroyed my home and may have killed my mother by now!" She shouted at him, but Marco held firm and calmly spoke.

"Star I know, but please, I need you to listen to me before you start randomly attacking...please...for me?" Marco looks into Star's eyes as he pleads with her to listen. Tears start to form in Star's eyes and she angrily free's her arm. "Fine" she sniffed "What do you have to say?".

Marco sighed with relief and looked towards Star, whose head was lowered, not returning Marco's gaze. "Star, When I was fighting with Kahchi, we talked about why Helvete was doing all of this" Marco said as he stepped a little closer to the blonde haired princess. "He told me that during Eclipsa's attack, Globgor had killed Helvete's wife and daughter, prompting him to seek revenge on Mewni".

Star uncharacteristically scoffed at this. "What's that got to do with this!?" she fired back towards Marco, but Marco kept his cool and explained calmly. "Don't you see Star!?" He said pointing at Tamia who stood rather awkwardly in front of the arguing couple "Helvete thinks she's dead! She can actually help us, especially if she knows her fathers weakness!" He then turned to Tamia.

"You do know how to beat him right?" He questioned rather sceptically, having seen Helvete's power up close, he didn't actually believe fully that a man like that could truly have a weakness. Tamia smiled and nodded at the knight "Yeah, I know how to beat him, I've been wanting to stop him for a long time, but I need allies just like you need allies" she said before Star interrupted.

"If Helvete think's you're dead then how the hell are you alive!?" Star fired towards Tamia, who drew back slightly at the sudden change in questioning. She scratched the back of her head and looked away. "Well...it's kind've a long story" she remarked, but Star simply sat down and gestured for Marco and Tamia to do the same. The two obeyed and Star spoke calmly as she could manage to Tamia.

"Well my kingdom is still fallen and we need to wait for Tom to heal up anyway, so I'd say we've got all the time in the world, go ahead" she said, the anger in her eyes signalling to Tamia that she couldn't put this off. Tamia sighed, removing a stray hair from her eyes she looked towards Star and Marco, her eyes glowing bright red as she spoke.

"In Helios time it was 10 years ago..."

 **Killick Village, Helios-300 Years ago (Mewni Time)**

"Mommy look!" Yelled a young girl as she pulled her mother across the garden of their large, Marble house in the centre of a small village. The girl's hair was already at her young age drooping down to her lower back and was a deep red that glistened and shone as she ran. She was easily the most adamant display of innocence and purity across the village that her father had brought the family too when her grandfather had cut off their line of succession.

But she was too young to truly understand that for now, as far as she was aware, her father had brought them to this new home to give her room to play and frolic as well as provide for her love of the outdoors, given that it was surrounded on all sides by forests, hills, lakes and more area's to explore than she could ever go through in a lifetime. Needless to say, it was perfection.

Her mother laughed as she was dragged along the lawn to whatever destination her crimson haired daughter wished for her to go "Not so quickly Tamia dear, mummy's not as young as she used to be". Tamia giggled and continued to pull her mother across the garden to show her what she had discovered today.

They stopped in a small patch of blackened grass that Tamia's mother was visibly concerned about. The house had a host of servants that were usually supposed to ensure the grass was in the best condition, it was odd of them to mess up like this. Tamia let go of her mothers hand and ran a few paces in front of her.

"Okay mummy, stay there I wanna show you something!" she yelled excitedly as she stood around 10 meters away from her mother, who looked on in bemusement, wondering what could possibly need so much distance. Tamia smiled brightly, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in and out. Lowering her hands down to her stomach, palms together as if she was praying.

She opened her eyes suddenly to reveal a red glow that shone brightly across the distance to her surprised mother. Tamia then separated her hands and began to move them through the air methodically, as if practicing a martial art. As she did so flames began to surround her form wherever her hands moved. She produced a small trail of bright red flames that surrounded her body in a harmony of heat and beauty as her crimson hair began to glow brightly as her eyes as she continued to manifest her power.

Her mother watched on, but not with the pride a mother would normally show when their child demonstrated something they had learned on their own. Instead she looked upon her young, innocent and precious daughter with fear. Fear of what these new powers meant. Fear of what her husband would turn her sweet daughter into. Fear of Helvete himself as he saw him in her daughter's once sweet and beautiful eyes, now filled with the same glow as he possessed.

Once she had finished a perfect spiral of flames around her small form, Tamia's eyes shone white briefly and the flames dissipated around her. Her hair stopped glowing and went back to it's normal deep red colour and her eyes followed suit. She eagerly looked towards her mother for praise. However the look of fear on her mother's face confused the young girl deeply.

"Mummy, is something war.." The girl was cut off by a stinging pain in her cheek as her mother slapped her. Tamia fell to the ground and tears began to streak down her face as she looked up towards her mother, with a look of hurt and confusion. Her mother looked down on her with a mixed expression of fear and anger towards her daughter.

"Don't you ever do that again!" she yelled, scolding the sobbing child. Tamia yelled back, confused as to what suddenly came over her mother "But why mummy!? What did I do?" she sobbed as her mother tightly gripped her by the arm and began to drag her back towards the house. "Because mummy said so that's why!" she fired back as she dragged the child back into the house.

"Now up to your room!" she yelled, pointing up the stairs. Tamia attempted to argue back, pleading with her mother to tell the girl what she had done to make her so angry with her. Her mother however just pointed up the stairs and shouted "Now Tamia!". That put a quick end to the argument and Tamia slowly and sadly made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her so as to not upset her mother anymore.

 **Boggabah Cafe-Present Day**

"You have his powers.." Marco said, rather shocked by the story he had just heard. Tamia nodded and held out her palm, facing it upwards and producing a small flame in it's centre. The flame shone brightly as it flickered and danced across the girl's palm before she closed her hand, snuffing the flame and dissipating it.

"I only figured out a few years later that mum was terrified of my father, me having his powers, it made her think that I'd become the same" Tamia said sadly as she looked down at the table. "My father was horrible to my mother, they were both forced into their marriage and forced to have me, and at first they were relatively happy...considering".

Tamia took out a small piece of paper, on it was a child's drawing of a woman in a pink dress, with long black hair. She was smiling and standing next to a young smiling girl with red hair and a small yellow sundress. The paper was crinkled and had been stained by past tears.

"After he lost the throne of Helios, my father...changed" Tamia said as she stared at the drawing "He and mum would argue constantly, and..." Tamia stopped as a tear came to her eye "Every now and again my mother would have bruises or even small burns on her body when I saw her the next morning, always with some bullshit excuse like she'd fallen or burned herself cooking..."

She slammed her fist on the table in anger, a small flame bursting outwards from the impact "I could've stopped him...I could've protected my mother from that bastard" she said as tears began to run down her cheek. Marco spoke up and said gently "You were a child, you couldn't have done anything then, but you can avenge her now" Tamia managed a light smile as she looked up towards Marco.

Star interjected "But that doesn't explain how you're still alive and why he and his entire kingdom thinks you're dead" she said with a straight face. Tamia nodded, "I was getting to that..."

 **Killick Village, Helios-300 Years ago (Mewni Time)**

Tamia sat in the corner of her room, the young girl balled up, cuddling her small doll tightly as she wept. The doll becoming damp from her tears, it's red hair and little pink dress dripping as the water flowed down from the girl's cheeks.

She had finally discovered something amazing, something beautiful that she could conjure and control at will. Her mother had hit and scolded her for it. She just, couldn't understand why her mother had done such a thing, why it was so bad that she used her power.

Was it because it was her dad's power? Would she rather Tamia grow up...normal? These questions plagued the young girl's mind as she dried her tears and stood up. She couldn't practice with her powers here, that much was clear in the young girl's mind. She quietly walked over to the door and creaked it open a small crack to look outside her room.

The house was dark and quiet, she snuck through the crack in the door, closing it silently behind her, taking great care not to alert her mother that she'd left her room without permission. Creeping down the stairs, each creak of the wooden stairwell causing her to wince at the possibility of her mother hearing it. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she could hear the noise of her mother weeping in one of the nearby rooms.

She walked up to the room the sound originated from and placed her ear to the door, not wishing to walk in for fear of how her mother would react. She heard her mother's voice through the door, it was a quiet sob, she was clearly talking to herself and trying to come to grips with something.

"Why?" she heard her mother sob "Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't she just be an innocent and pretty girl her whole life? But no...she has to have the powers of that demon.." Tamia stood back from the door confused and hurt. Demon? Is that what her mother truly thought of her? The girl wiped a new tear from her eye before walking towards the front door and silently walking through into the world outside.

She ran through the village as fast as she possibly could, it was late evening and those out were couples and groups of friends who had gone out together to drink at the local inn. They noticed young Tamia immediately as she was well beloved by the villagers as their young Princess. But none of them bothered her or stopped her as she fled past the houses and into the wilderness.

Tamia ran deep into the forest that bordered her village and up a hill towards a spot she had discovered months ago that she loved to play in while her mother was busy for the day and her father...well her father never had much time for her these days anyway. After a few minutes of running she'd finally reached it. It was a small ridge overlooking the forest below.

Tamia had, on previous trips, converted it into a sort've private castle. Or at least it was a castle as far as a child's imagination was concerned. She'd moved rocks to form crenellations around the ridge and painted windows and decoration on the rocks themselves. Over the months since she'd found it she had also dragged a small table, a chair and several toys up here. As well as a small box she used to keep food in so she could stay longer without having to go home for lunch.

Tamia looked over the forest below and thought to herself. "If I can't practice at home, I guess I'll have to do it here from now on". She turned to face the stone face of the ridge which was at the rear of her small castle. It was a small cliff face that overlooked her ridgeline and was formed from a large section of granite that had scorch marks on it from the previous times Tamia had used her powers here.

The young girl stood back from the rock face, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes gently. As she breathed out she opened her eyes to reveal that same glow that had shone as she used her powers before, her crimson hair once again glowing as it flowed down her back like a red waterfall, cascading down to the small of her back.

Forming a small flame in the base of each palm she began the same movements as she had shown her mother earlier that day, forming a spiral of beautiful, dancing flames around her small form. She held the flames in a pristine spiral around her body before extending her arm out with a closed fist at the end of it. When her arm was fully extended towards the wall she opened her fist, revealing her palm with one quick movement.

Instantly 5 beams of flame shot out from the spiral of fire and shot towards the wall, smashing into it and splintering the rock as they impacted. The beams had shot deep into the hill and left glowing red stone in their wake as they smashed through. Her expression unmoving Tamia raised her hand above her head and closed her fist again.

The spiral of flame shot up above her as she performed this action and formed into a ball that resembled a star. The flames burning and arching across it's surface and casting a great light over the surrounding area. With a quick movement she brought her arm down and pointed a finger towards the rock face. The ball of flame began to launch a barrage of smaller fireballs at the rock, each one smashing through and splintering the cliff as they hit.

After a few seconds the ridge became dark again, save for the glow that emanated from Tamia's eyes and hair, as the ball of flames above her had dissipated from giving out all of it's contained power. Tamia closed her eyes gently again and her hair lost it's glow gradually. As she opened her eyes they had returned to normal and she looked on the face of the rock. It was glowing red from the heat and had been scorched and damaged a surprising amount from the two attacks.

Tamia smiled brightly "Awesome!" she cried out "If I can learn to control this even better, I might be able to do anything!". She beamed brightly at her progress and sat in the nearby chair that she had up in her hiding spot. She relaxed and imagined all the amazing things she could try to do. "Wings" she came up with on the spot "I wonder if I could form wings with this, it'd be so cool, like an angel!" she excitedly said to herself as she imagined herself with a pair of flowing, beautiful wings formed from the flames she had produced.

Her fantasies was soon shattered however when the forest echoed with a colossal noise. It was a roar unlike anything the young girl had ever heard. It shook the tree's and blew through the forest with intense pressure. Tamia was forced to cover her ears in desperation to stop the noise reaching her but it didn't help in the slightest.

Once the noise ceased Tamia looked towards the path she'd taken up here in fear. That noise was coming from the village. "Mum" she said before running as fast as she could back towards her home. As she got closer to the village she heard the screaming of people and the crashes and shattering noises as buildings were hit by something. She ran into the entrance to the forest but stopped at the sight before her.

A great, lumbering giant of a monster was towering over the village, flames erupting from the creature's mouth as he burned a row of houses down to ash in an instant. The marble building, in which Tamia and her mother lived at the centre of town, was smashed to atoms presumably by the monster's great foot.

Fear soon gripped Tamia and she backed away from the scene slowly but soon heard a gruff voice shouting out to her. "Hey you!" she looked towards the source and saw a tall, black monster that resembled an upright scorpion was yelling towards her. She screamed and ran into the forest, the monster giving chase as she ran.

Tamia was quick but the monster was quicker and had soon trapped the young girl in a corner of the forest. "Get away!" she shouted but the creature didn't listen and began to advance on the girl with anger in it's eyes as it snarled menacingly. Tamia, frightened had no choice, her eyes glowed brightly and extended her palm forward "I said get away!" she yelled as a burst of flames shot towards the creature.

The creature looked wide-eyed and yelled as the flames hit, cooking the creature alive and turning it's skin into a crispy, burned mass of flesh. It's eyeballs melting in their sockets with the heat and the monster's death being near instant but horribly traumatic. Tamia looked on, shocked as her eyes lost her glow. She dropped to her knees and took deep breaths, this had been the first time she'd ever had to use her power to defend herself. The results scared her deeply.

She began to weep in that spot, still listening to the distant sounds of devastation, eventually she wept herself to sleep, her dreams filled with visions of fire and death and at the centre of it all was that tremendous giant of a monster.

The girl was awoken by a voice calling from above her, her scarlet eyes opened and the voice became clearer. "Hey..Hey you okay kid? Cmon get up!" It was a man's voice, Tamia stood up and caught her first view of the man before her. He was an elderly man with a grey beard, straw hat and long tangled grey hair that hung down to his shoulders.

He was dressed in a set of dirty overalls covered in smudges of mud, oil and soot. He was also carrying a backpack an lugged a small basket containing bread and mixed vegetables and small jars. "Hey kid, what're ya doing out here?" he asked in a gruff but kind voice.

Tamia looked up to the man but couldn't figure out what to say to him, simply shaking her head in response. The man looked down on her, puzzled "Your mother know you're here?" he questioned, to which Tamia responded plainly "My mummy..she's...she's dead.." drawing a look of sadness from the old man.

"Oh god I...I'm sorry dear, what about your father?" he asked as he knelt down to meet Tamia's gaze. Tamia shook her head again, her dad was probably alive but..she didn't want to go back to him, her dad hadn't shown her love in all she could remember, she didn't want to go back to that life, not without her mother there.

"Oh my god...thats...you're all by yourself out here?" the old man asked. Tamia nodded sadly and pointed to the still smouldering remains of the monster that had attacked her. "The monster tried to get me but...I stopped him" she said, drawing a look of shock from the man.

"You stopped a monster, all by yourself!?" he asked in a surprised tone. Tamia nodded and the old man looked on with a sceptical expression "How?" he asked. But Tamia went shy, remembering her mothers reaction to her power and shook her head profusely in fear.

"It's okay, I won't be angry, I'm actually impressed I just wana know how a child bested a monster" the old man said. Tamia looked at the old man, he had kind eyes and she could tell he was being genuine so she nodded lightly and directed him to stand back. He did so and Tamia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Opening her eyes to reveal the telltale glow of her power and allowing her hair to once again glow red, she repeated the demonstration she had shown to her mother only the other day. The old man looked on amazed as the spiral of flames danced and shone as they twirled around the girl's body. After she had finished and had dissipated the flames, she looked down in fear, dreading a reaction like her mother had displayed.

Instead the old man began clapping, much to Tamia's surprise, she looked up to see a wide smile on the man's face. "That was amazing, how'd you learn to do something like that!?" he said, clearly impressed by the girl. Tamia blushed lightly and shrugged. The man then walked up to her and placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Look, I don't know what happened to your parents, but my house isn't too far from here, my wife makes a vegetable stew that is to die for, you wanna come along? You look like you're starving" he said kindly. Tamia nodded and walked alongside the man down the dirt path through the forest towards a small farm in the distance.

 **Boggabah Cafe-Present Day**

Tamia wiped a small tear from her eye as she finished her story, Star and Marco did the same as the story had shocked them. Especially Star, whose anger had subsided and was now replaced with sympathy and sadness for the crimson haired girl before her.

"I ended up living there for 10 years, as time passed I learned more and more about the horrible things my father was doing in Helios" Tamia said sadly "Our farm was outside the Helios borders so he never found me there, noone who ever visited recognised me as the Princess, just a simple farm girl, I'm happy they didn't".

Tamia looked towards Star and Marco "When I heard about the war with Mewni, I knew I had to find a way to help, but I've got no way of travelling to Mewni so I've been searching for a way to get there all this time...a way to stop him" she looked down in shame "I didn't manage it in time, but please..." she said as she looked into Star's eyes and took hold of the Princess's hands. "Let me help you now!" she pleaded towards the blonde girl in front of her.

Star looked towards Marco and Marco nodded "We need all the help we can get Star and if she can really do all she claims, we can't afford to be without her" he said, looking at Star with serious eyes. Star smiled lightly at her knight and nodded, looking back towards Tamia she spoke.

"Your father has done some monstrous things, he's killed more people than I can even be able to count, I need all the help in the world to stop him and free my kingdom" she said as she looked into the scarlet eyes of the crimson haired girl. "I'd be honoured if you can help us bring him down". Tamia nodded and smiled at Star, who smiled back. Marco interrupted the moment by announcing "Well now that that's sorted, we should go and check on Tom". Star nodded and the three began to walk out of the cafe.

As they left, Marco looked towards Tamia, Star noticing asked Marco what was wrong. Marco chuckled "Think Tom's into redheads?" he joked quietly. Star looked towards Tamia and studied her, trying to avoid her noticing before giggling and turning back to Marco "I think he'll like her, but we've gotta talk about your sense of timing when it comes to playing match maker" she said as she lightly poked Marco in the arm, drawing him to chuckle.

"Well I did say I'd find him a date, not my fault I found a good one at a time like this" he laughed. The couple giggled and Tamia glanced back with a small smile at the display of happiness between the pair. She turned to face forward again and whispered to herself "Wonder if I'll ever be like that with someone..." she said with some hope in her voice.

 **Medical Center**

"Star, Marco!" Tom said excitedly as the couple walked in, albeit with a twinge of pain shooting through him as he did so. "Jeez Tom don't strain yourself" said Marco as he walked up to the prince, the prince chuckled in response.

"Eh this is nothing, you should've seen me after that weekend we all spent at the falls last year" he said through the chuckle. Marco and Star chuckled along with him "We did see you, you just don't remember because you'd hit your head trying to dive off the waterslide genius" Marco said as the memory flooded his mind.

"I seem to remember that you and Star decided it'd be amazing to 'Couples dive' from the 5 meter board and ended up doing a double bellyflop" Tom chuckled, much to the embarrassment of Star and Marco. "Yeah not one of my best ideas" Star said shyly.

Tom chuckled "So, what's our new plan?" He asked curiously as he sat himself up, showing off his bandaged wound in his stomach. Marco and Star looked at it with a grimace but Tom assured them he was fine.

Marco cleared his throat and began to speak "The plan is, we're going to find rhombulus and get him to free the monster's he's captured over the years, we're gonna attack Helvete with the creatures he fears and hates even more than Mewmans" Tom was surprised at this plan but after thinking on it for a few moments he replied.

"Okay, it's a long shot but I guess at this point so is everything else, we got anyone else?" he asked. Marco and Star looked at each other and smiled slyly drawing a puzzled look from Tom. "What?" he asked, confused as to why the couple was acting so strange.

Marco broke the silence "We met a new ally in the cafe nearby, she's going to help us fight Helvete" he said before the couple parted, revealing a shy looking, blushing Tamia who had been hiding behind them ever since seeing Tom. Tom stared wide eyed at the girl and his own cheeks began to glow red as he blushed, losing himself in her beauty.

Star and Marco began to giggle as they watched the pair, they glanced knowingly at each other and nodded "This is gonna be fun" Star whispered to Marco, who nodded to the princess.

"Nice to meet you" said Tamia nervously and attempting to hide her blush from the prince. "My name is Tamia". Her voice snapped Tom out of his daydream and brought him back to reality. He nervously fumbled over his words as he tried to speak, finally coming out with a nervous "T..The pleasure is mine, I'm Tom" he said, also attempting to hide his blush but couldn't take his eyes off the girl.

Star and Marco continued to giggle as they watched the couple, Marco eventually stepping forward and laying a map on a nearby table "All right lovebirds, let's get to work".

 **A/N: Tamia's past revealed and Tom's got a little crush it seems ;) Now the group prepares to take the fight to Helvete and free Mewni from his tyranny, will having his daughter on side and freeing the monsters of Mewni give them the edge they need? Only time will tell. Till next time guys :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18-Welcome to Hell**

Tom struggled to his feet, unsteadily standing at the side of his hospital bed. Tamia quickly rushed to help him steady himself, holding him upright. Tom steadied out and stood properly upright, turning to thank Tamia and suddenly realising how close her face was to his. He once again was stunned by her beauty, she had a glow about her that wouldn't go away and her hair was a silky weave of scarlet red locks that flowed down to her lower back with all the grace becoming of a princess.

Tamia blushed lightly as Tom stared at her and asked quietly "Are you okay?" as she stared back with her glistening, scarlet red, eyes. Tom suddenly came to his senses and stood up under his own power, facing away to hide his now very red face, he uttered quietly "Yeah...Yeah I'm good...thanks". Tamia giggled.

Star and Marco struggled to hide their laughter at Tom's sudden nervousness and shyness around Tamia. When they had finally calmed down slightly, Marco addressed the group. "Okay, so we need a way to get to Rhombulus's dimension, anyone know a way?" he asked as he looked across the three faces in front of him, all of them filled with confusion and pondering expression.

With the lack of response Marco sighed "I'll take that as a no then?" he asked, looking down at his feet absently. Star questioned the knight "You don't have your dimensional scissors?" she stepped forwards and looked at Marco sceptically as she asked this.

Marco shook his head "If I had them then we wouldn't have left Queen Moon with Helvete" he said without really thinking. Star drew back slightly and her eyes welled up. Marco, realising what he just said, quickly wrapped his arms around Star and held her close "I'm sorry Star, I didn't mean it like that...we'll Get her back, I promise we'll get her back" he said apologetically.

Star nodded into his shoulder and held her boyfriend close. "It's okay Marco, I know we will" she said as she wiped her eyes and attempted to stay strong. "I'll have my family and my kingdom back if it's the last thing I do" she said, keeping a strong face despite all the pain she felt inside at the thought of her mother at Helvete's mercy.

Marco nodded, suddenly realising something he looked down towards Star. "Star, can't your butterfly form summon portals? He asked. Star nodded, but retorted with a despondent "Yes..But I've never been able to create portals to the dimensions held personally by commission members, Heckapoo put some sort of blocker on them so that only scissors she makes can access them".

"Dammit Hekapoo..." Marco muttered under his breath. "Well, we should probably use it to search through the other dimensions for any way of getting to Rhombulus" he conceded, clearly annoyed at the prospect of how long this would take.

Tom sighed before speaking aloud "Marco, there's another option" he said as he took a glance at Tamia, who looked towards him with hope in her eyes that he had a solution to their problem. He sighed as he thought about how wrong this could go, but what choice did they have? "I can open the way into the underworld for us..There's a small collection of dimensional scissors that we use for our own purposes, there's just one problem.." He paused, hesitating to say the next part.

"...Your Parents" Star said in a dark tone, surprising Tamia who was still not caught up with the situation regarding Tom's family. Tamia nervously spoke up "Errm, what's wrong with Tom's parents?" drawing a look of sadness and shame from Tom. Marco placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Tom's parents have been corrupted by your father, they helped in his war on Mewni, even as the prince Tom was powerless to stop it so he joined us to help".

Hearing this Tamia brought her hand to her mouth in shock and turned to Tom "Oh my gosh I'm so sor..." She was interrupted as Tom, in a shocked and upset tone, spoke up "Your father!?" he yelled. Tamia looked down, unable to meet Tom's gaze as she spoke.

"Yes..." She said in almost a half whisper "Helvete is my dad, we were separated when Eclipsa attacked Helios when I was only a young girl" Tamia shifted nervously, feeling Tom's gaze throughout her body, but it was definitely not how it felt before, it was..untrusting, a gaze of betrayal and hurt. She couldn't face that gaze eye to eye and so kept her head down in shame, her scarlet hair covering her expression.

Her feelings were accurate, Tom's expression towards this girl he had found so beautiful, radiant and angelic before had now changed. He didn't know what to think now, his pain and desire to yell at her for the deeds of her father mixing poorly with the desire to run up and hold her close, reassuring her it would all be okay. Tom had never experienced anything like it before, he glanced towards Marco, this was definitely a question to put to him later.

Tom sighed and asked simply "You're on our side right? You're here to help us take him on...you Know that right? To fight a parent, it's something we have in common, I know that feeling...to fight someone you love is the hardest thing..." Tom placed a light hand on Tamia's chin and drew her up to meet his gaze, her hair flowing from her face revealing a blushing expression of nervousness and hoping, he gazed deep into her deep, scarlet eyes and said with conviction "I need to know that you'll give your all to help us win, even if our enemy is your father".

Tamia was stunned, unable to speak at Tom's actions, his face was so close...she Could...he Could...But No! This wasn't the time to fantasize, she had to give him an answer, an answer that would take away that look of hurt and distrust, replacing it with the look she could see in his eyes now. A perfect look of longing and wishful hoping that now filled the eyes of this prince before her.

"He might be my father, but he drove my mother into fear so deep that she punished me out of fear I'd be like him, I was raised by William Furtail, a farmer who found a scared young orphan in the woods and raised her as his own out of the goodness of his own heart, that is my dad, not Helvete" Tamia spoke these words with a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks and a conviction in her eyes that shocked Tom to his core and brought a smile to his lips.

"Good, I hoped you'd say something like that" he said as he took her hand off her chin, much to Tamia's disappointment, Tom turned back to Marco and Star. "Okay, so let me lay this out for you, to get to those dimensional scissors, we're probably going to have to face my parents...are you two prepared for that?" he asked with a concerned and serious tone.

Marco stepped forward, his expression one of total seriousness and conviction. "Those aren't your parents Tom, those are puppets of Helvete's evil, and we will bring them down as we'll bring him down". Tom looked at Marco and managed a light smile, "Thanks Marco" he said as his eyes glowed red and he began to spout a stream of Latin, summoning the gateway to the underworld.

Star and Marco began to make their way down towards the entrance without hesitation, having been to the underworld a great many times before. Tamia hesitated, the entrance wasn't exactly inviting, she nervously stood at the top of the entrance. Suddenly snapped out of her trance by Tom, who held his hand out to the girl. "Cmon, lets go" he says with kind eyes towards her. She blushed and took his hand as the prince lead her down the path to the black doorway.

 **Lucitor Kingdom-Entrance**

Star and Marco were the first through the entrance to the Lucitor kingdom.A grand black citadel surrounded on all sides by flowing rivers of magma and towering peaks of flame that rose to a non-existent sky. The place always gave off an uneasy and sometimes even evil vibe, but this time it felt like any goodness it had was drained away, replaced only by the fire and brimstone of a dark and terrifying kingdom.

Tom looked down on his homeland with sadness, the old flags had been replaced. Where once flew proudly the great image of a three peaked flame, now was replaced by the symbol of a red-eyed black skull with crossed swords running through it. It was a flag that Tom disliked immediately, but what made it worse was that it flew alongside the Helios flag, clearly demonstrating his parent's loyalty to the tyrant kingdom.

Tamia squeezed Tom's hand lightly, jumping him out of the despair filled trance. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned that the prince had stopped very suddenly when he saw his home, as if he'd never gazed on a place like this in his life.

Turning back to Tamia, Tom spoke with a sad look on his face, "Yeah...Yeah I'm fine it's just, difficult to see how much they've changed is all". Tamia felt sorry for the prince, she knew what it was like to see a parent become a monster after all. She squeezed Tom's hand lightly again and reassured him "Let's just do what we came here for okay?" drawing a nod from Tom and a smile of appreciation and admiration. Exactly the look Tamia wanted from him.

As the group got closer to the citadel, there was a cry from behind them "Halt!" came the voice. The group turned on a dime and drew their weapons but Tom suddenly recognised the voice's source and stopped. "General Jeong? Is that you?" he called in surprise.

A figure in a black military uniform, adorn with medals and golden decoration denoting considerable rank and authority emerged from the darkness behind the group. The man was covered by a small platoon of guards who all had their own weapons drawn, ready to assault the group at a moments notice.

"Prince Tom, what are you doing here? The King and Queen have disinherited you and have ordered your inprisonment should you return..It's no longer safe for you here" The general spoke as he approached the Prince. Tom spoke in a serious tone towards the general "It's necessary general, we need a set of dimensional scissors in order to save Mewni, taking the one's from here is the only option".

The general sighed "I'd give you some if I could Tom, I really would, but the kingdom's dimensional scissor stores have been stripped of us, Helvete's orders I'm afraid" he said in a tone that, to Tom, seemed to reveal just how ashamed Jeong was at the kingdom's decline into servitude.

"Why would he order something like that, I thought your kingdoms were allies in this war?" Marco asked the general, still not dropping his guard from the troops that surrounded the group. Jeong directed his gaze at Marco and gave a polite smile "Ah, Sir Marco, it's good to see you and Princess Star survived this ordeal so far, I mean that most sincerely" He then paused before answering Marco's question, his expression now revealing a serious and slightly sad disposition.

"The King and Queen are fully allied to Helvete this much is true, however radical elements of the army and citizenry have become discontent with the changes in this kingdom ever since we took up arms against Mewni, as such the kingdom finds itself in a civil war between the loyalists to the crown and a collection calling themselves 'The Prince's Legion' Inspired by your actions against your parents Tom" Jeong explained much to the surprise of the group.

"As far as I am aware, the group intends to overthrow your parents and install you as the new ruler of the Lucitor kingdom, which is essentially what you're intending to do isn't it my Prince? Incidentally you'll have to defeat them if you wish to obtain the last remaining pair of dimensional scissors in the kingdom, your father keeps them on his person at all times" He spoke as he turned towards the rather baffled looking Tom.

Tom looked around at the troops surrounding the group, weapons drawn and anger clearly present on their faces. "And what side do you fall on general?" he asked plainly, already well aware of the answer. The general straightened himself up and drew his sword, causing Star Marco and Tamia to ready their own weapons in expectation of a fight.

"As I told you before you left Tom, I will not betray the oath I took to my King and Queen.." Jeong spoke as he held the blade upright a few inches from his face, as if preparing to give a salute before continuing "But neither will I fight the Prince" he spoke as he threw down his weapon, causing the other troops to reluctantly throw down their own.

The group was shocked but none more so than Tom, who had expected that he would have to fight his way past this general who he had more respect for than even his own parents. Tom, clearly puzzled looked up to meet the general's gaze. "I wish you luck Prince Tom, do what you have to do, but be aware that the others loyal to the King and Queen will not show you the same kindness" The general said as he turned around along with his battalion, who picked up and holstered their weapons, and made their way off into the distance.

"Thank you general, I'm sorry you had to be a part of this" Tom spoke as the group once again made their way to the citadel.

 **Lucitor Citadel**

The guards stood at the great gates of the Lucitor citadel, they stared out into the smoke and blackness of the underworld around them. The light was sparse despite the great flames and flowing rivers of lave that dominated the landscape. Guard duty in these times of war and chaos had now become a nervous and jumpy endeavour, any slight movement in the darkness provoked a jump from the battle worn guards.

Suddenly from the darkness, there was a glint of light in the distance unlike the others, the guards stared at it for a while before going wide eyed in realization and quickly throwing up their shields. They were just in time as a beam of flame smashed into the guard's position, shaking them but they held firm against the tide.

As the beam dissipated, the guards drew their weapons ready to attack but they were greeted with the face of Marco who, in two rapid movements with a steel baton he carried as a sidearm, knocked both of them out cold.

"That's a hell of a door..." He said, admiring the vast doorway into the citadel, it was easily 3 times the size of the door that the grand hall of butterfly castle had, and even that was much to big in Marco's opinion. "Yeah that's for my mother, the castle is as massive as this purely for her" Tom interjected as the group gathered in front of the colossal door.

"Your mum is that big?" questioned Tamia, rather shocked at the prospect. Tom laughed to himself "Well yeah, she's usually super soft though, my dad is the one who's kind've a hard ass" he sighed as he remembered who they were before the days of Helvete.

Marco and Star blasted the door with a combined spell and the group surged into the citadel. The guards stood in the grand entrance hall immediately sprung into action and assaulted the group. Star and Marco began to fight off the guards on the left of the group, their movements well coordinated and polished from years of training and fighting together.

Tamia and Tom took on the guards on the right, both of their eyes glowing as they used their own fire magic to blast away the guards who assaulted them. Their movements and coordination were less polished than Star and Marco's but they watched each other's backs and shared their produced flames as a single strand of flame spiralled around both of their bodies. They shot small jets of flame outwards from the spiral and used it's strands to grab enemy weapons or to throw their assailants against the walls of the grand hall.

Soon enough the few guards who were left retreated futher into the castle, realising they were not a match for the four teenagers here. As the guards fell back, the group lowered their weapons and spells. Tom and Tamia's eyes returning to their normal state, they glanced at each other and shared a smile. Star and Marco noticed this and giggled to themselves "cute" Marco said a little to loud as Tom noticed his comment.

The pair blushed and looked away in shyness, this action drew a further giggle from Star and Marco who began to make their way to the grand staircase at the end of the hall. "Well, Me and Star will go ahead and search for the Queen, you two take the King and get the scissors" he announced as they took the left stairwell "Meet back here after you're done, and if anything goes wrong then call us okay?".

Tom and Tamia nodded "Be careful dealing with her you two, she's among one of the strongest monsters in Mewni" Tom warned, Star nodded as she ran up the stairs after Marco and the pair vanished into the halls of the citadel. Tamia stood by Tom's side "Okay, so you know this place better than anyone, where's the king gonna be?" she asked, making sure not to refer to him as Tom's dad just to keep him from thinking about the memories of his parents.

"The throne room, he always did have an ego for sitting in his throne as long as he could" said Tom as they started up the right stairwell and down the grand hallway towards the throne room. Several guards stood guard outside the entrance to the throne room, they lowered their spears to form a phalanx and began advancing down the hall towards the pair.

Tom and Tamia nodded towards each other and both extended their hands to face their palms at the advancing guards. The pair immediately began firing multiple blasts of flame down the hall towards the advancing guards who began running down the hall in a charge, undaunted despite the casualties they were taking in the advance.

"Okay he's definitely in there, there's no other reason the guards would be this suicidal about defending the throne" Tom remarked as he extended both arms forward, a stream of flames slowly seeping from his palms, extending into a wall between the pair and the advancing troops.

"This should be interesting" Tamia said as she watched the flames Tom produced dance and shoot around the hallway. Tom smiled slyly "I haven't gotten to use this yet, hope it works like I think it will" he said as he drew the flames back into a single ball which he held in front of him. "Close your eyes" he whispered to Tamia, who was taken back but obeyed. Once Tom saw her eyes were closed, his own eyes flashed white and the ball of flame exploded outwards, producing a blinding white light that filled the hallway for a few seconds.

The guards had stopped their advance and were now covering their eyes, temporarily blinded by the piercing light. "Now! Take them all down!" Tom shouted as Tamia opened her eyes and the pair began firing a massive barrage of blasts at every guard, all of them rendered defenceless by their lack of sight.

Soon enough the guards were down, rendered unconscious by the barrage of fire that the pair had rained down on them. Tom smiled, satisfied "Huh, that worked better than I thought" he said as they continued to walk towards the, now unguarded, throne room.

"Okay, that was cool, but I've got my own tricks that I'm sure you wouldn't have thought of" Tamia said with a flirtatious grin towards the prince, who immediately blushed and looked down attempting to hide it. "Yeah..I..I'm sure you do" he said nervously which caused Tamia to giggle. "You're cute when you get embarrassed you know that?" she said, still clearly flirting with the boy.

Tom's blush deepened but he attempted to stand up straight and look dignified in order to appear more masculine. This just caused Tamia to giggle more as the pair came to the grand door of the throne room which was, much like the front door, a colossal wall of solid oak that was decorated with golden plaques of the Lucitor family crest.

Tom sighed "Okay, lets do this" he said as the pair blasted the door open.

 **Grand Hall-Lucitor Citadel**

After fighting through a series of armed guards, Marco and Star burst into the grand hall. It was a massive space, so large the end of the room dropped off into the horizon. At the end of it stood a colossal, crimson demon that towered almost to the ceiling of the room. Her horns extending out from her head were as thick as steel beams and she looked down angrily on Star and Marco from her three, bright yellow eyes.

"Well, if it isn't the remains of the fallen Butterflies" she remarked "It wasn't enough that you turned my precious Tom against us, you now invade my home because you lost yours?". Star yelled across the distance towards the awaiting queen.

"Queen Lucitor, we've come to end this poisonous alliance with Helvete you've roped yourselves into, Tom has come to reclaim his throne, you won't stop us from bringing down Helvete, just surrender and this doesn't have to get ugly" Star threatened as her and Marco drew their weapons and readied for the coming fight.

Queen Lucitor laughed, the sound booming through the grand hall as she shook the building with her advancing steps towards the couple. "You dare threaten me in my own kingdom Butterfly!? I'll ensure you wind up just like every other bug I see.." She clenched her fist tightly. "Crushed" she said darkly before charging across the hall towards the couple.

Star and Marco dodged out of the way and each fired a blast towards the demoness. The blasts hit home but did little more than anger the gigantic being. "Well, guess that's a no on surrendering" Marco muttered as he fired a volley of blasts towards the queen. Star fired a stream of a glue-like substance from her wand into the queen's eyes. The queen roared in anger and flailed wildly as she attempted to wipe the substance from her eyes.

"Marco grab on!" Star shouted as she threw one end of a steel chain towards the knight. Marco grabbed the chain and the two ran around the queen's legs, the chain wrapping around her as she continued to flail and roar in anger. Once sufficiently wrapped around the creature, the couple pulled tightly on the chain causing it to tighten up around the queen's legs.

The ground shook and a mighty crash was heard throughout the castle as the queen came tumbling to earth with the force of a building collapsing, the shockwave of the impact shattering the windows across the great hall. Troops immediately flooded the great hall from all sides, responding rapidly to their queen's peril. Star and Marco, seeing themselves surrounded summoned a large, dome shield around themselves and took up positions ready to fight.

The queen, after finally wiping the glue substance from her eyes, angrily snapped the chain around her legs and stood up. Surrounded by her troops, she had a dark and furious look on her face.

"I'll destroy you Butterfly!" she yelled in anger and ordering her troops "Kill them!"

 **Throne Room-Lucitor Citadel**

Tamia and Tom walked into an oddly calm throne room. King Lucitor did not rise from his throne as he watched them approach.

"The Prince returns, and look at that, you even brought a little girlfriend..." He said with bitter and sarcastic tone "do try not to lose this one to a peasant as well". Tom, upon hearing this comment, fired a blast of flames towards his father. The king was unphased and extended his palm outwards, smoothly catching and deflecting the blast.

"Please Tom, did you forget who taught you how to fight?" the king said as he snapped his fingers and a series of glowing chains, weaved from flames, wrapped themselves around Tom and Tamia. Anchoring them to the floor as they struggled in vain against the restraints.

King Lucitor slowly rose from his throne and casually strolled towards the couple. "Well, you're still a traitor to your family and your kingdom but at least you have the courtesy to bring your new girlfriend to meet your parents" he said as he studied Tamia "Unfortunately your mother is busy...entertaining..the Butterfly family right now but once she's done I'm sure she'd love to see you again"

Tom shouted in anger towards his father "Get away from her! You lay a hand on her and I'll kill you!" he pulled against his restrains and began to rise from the floor as he pushed upwards. Only to be stopped by his father when the king slammed a fist into Tom's face, sending him sprawling back to the floor.

"Tut tut, a boy making such threats to his dear father, where did me and your mother go wrong?" the king said, continuing the sarcastic and egotistical tone as he tormented the pair before him. Tamia, seeing Tom laid flat, summoned her abilities. Her eyes glowing she dissipated the chains around her and Tom before blasting the king with a sharp beam of flames.

The king was forced back into the wall of the throne room and struggled to his feet with an expression of anger on his face. His palms filled with flames as he stared at the girl who had just blasted him.

"Okay...guess Your mother won't be meeting this bitch then...just her corpse" he said darkly before launching a wall of flames towards the waiting Tamia.

 **A/N: The Battle against the Lucitor's begins, can the group overthrow Tom's parents and stop Helvete's only allies? Will Tom take the throne of the Lucitor kingdom? Until Next time guys :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19-The fall of a Kingdom**

 **Throne Room-Lucitor Citadel**

Tamia and King Lucitor were trading jets of flame as each one seeked to gain an advantage over the other. A spiral of flames had surrounded Tamia's form and was functioning as a shield while she launched a barrage of flames towards the waiting King Lucitor. The King himself had barely moved, managing to block each of Tamia's attacks though simply redirecting them around his body and back towards her.

This strategy saved alot of his strength as he had no need to create his own flames to attack with. He watched as the Prince was struggling to his feet and knew he had to start taking this girl seriously before he was faced with a two on one battle.

The king's eyes briefly glowed white and he extended his palm forward, launching an enormous jet of green flames towards Tamia who was surprised at the sudden display of power. However before she could react, Tom leapt between her and his father's attack.

The prince threw both of his hands forward, palms together so that his hands and arms formed a triangle in front of him. When the flames hit, he separated his palms and split the flames around the pair, the flames surging around the spot the pair stood but threatening them no longer.

The king stood in surprise at this move, as did Tamia for a second. There was little time for surprise and questions however as Tom then followed up his defence by blowing his own jet of flames from his mouth towards the king. The king extended his palm forward, managing to split the wall of flame and halt his son's attack. But before he could launch a counter attack he saw his son in front of his face.

Tom landed a direct hit into his father's stomach, sending the king flying backwards and causing him to wince with the pain of the blow. Tom surged forward again, looking for another clean strike but the king was ready for him now. As Tom got to arms length of the king, about to deliver another strike, the king hit him point-blank with a huge blast of flames.

Tom's body flew into the back wall of the room with enough force to crack it, he fell limply to the floor and landed in a heap. Tamia gasped in shock "Tom!" she called out as a tear came to her eye at the sight of the boy's limp form before her. The voice of the king then came from behind her.

"Don't take your eyes off your opponent my dear" the voice came with a cocky tone. As Tamia turned to confront the king, she was met with another green jet of angry flames that surged towards her at great speed. She quickly brought her hands up to block but the flames still sent her smashing into the back wall just as Tom did. Struggling, she slowly got to her feet and looked up into the eyes of the king.

The king smiled sadistically "Well, at least you're not a disappointment like my son" he remarked callously. Tamia looked back towards Tom, he hadn't moved since he'd fallen to the floor. She turned back in anger towards the king who had summoned a green ball of flames to his palm and was pointing it towards her. "I'll be sure to send him along too, Goodbye miss" he said darkly as he launched a final jet of flames towards Tamia.

Tamia's eyes glowed brightly and her hair began to radiate with a scarlet light that shone across the throne room. A thin strand of red flames shot out from her finger and smashed into the green torrent that was speeding towards her. The green flames instantly scattered and were dissipated by this small strand.

King Lucitor stood in awe at the sight before him. It had been a long time since an opponent had stunned him in quite this way. He couldn't move to attack, he could only take in the sight before him.

Tamia stood tall in defiance of this king before her. Her eyes glowing with a bright scarlet light that shone and twinkled with beauty, her hair radiating the same light as a circle of angry flames had formed around her. But what made her truly stand out were the enormous wings of flame that now extended from her back. They were a deep crimson and, under Tamia's control, arched around her body, shielding her from any threat that came close.

"You will not touch him again" she said darkly as she began to slowly walk forward towards the, now worried looking, king. "I'll be your opponent, and I will rip you from that throne that you have corrupted"

 **Great Hall-Lucitor Citadel**

"Kill them both!" Queen Lucitor commanded to her army. Obeying their queen the soldiers surged forward with swords and spears towards the couple. Star and Marco glanced towards each other, smiled and nodded, before jumping into the action.

Marco extended both of his index fingers outwards and began mass firing red beams of energy into the crowd of soldiers. Each blast impacting and bringing down a soldier in an instant, dozens of these blasts rained out from the spot Marco stood as he held firm against the army.

Star transformed her wand into a bow and began launching magical energy arrows at the rate of a machine gun into the approaching crowd of troops that surrounded the couple. The approaching troops fell in spades at the constant stream of fire coming from the couple, not one of them could get close enough to harm the princess or knight.

Queen Lucitor quickly grew fustrated at her troops failure and shouted "Form a shield wall around them!". The troops quickly formed up with their shields blocking line of sight of the couple. All their blasts now deflected from the wall of steel that now formed between them and the, now slowly advancing, troops.

"Looks like this is gonna take something stronger Star" Marco said as he turned to his girlfriend. Star giggled and smiled flirtily at Marco "scorched earth?" she asked, receiving a nod and wink from Marco "scorched earth" he confirmed as the two raised their palms in unison.

Both of them generated a small ball of energy in their palms and then aimed at each other "Remember to throw up a shield this time Marco" Star said playfully. Marco rolled his eyes in mock annoyance "You're never gonna let me live that down are you?" he responded, much to Star's amusement.

"Not a chance" she chuckled. The two then launched the balls of energy towards each other. As the blasts met between them, both of the teens formed a personal energy shield around themselves. The colliding blasts exploded with a massive force, shaking the citadel to it's foundations and the shockwave flattening each of the soldiers in its path.

The shockwave was so strong it cracked the walls of the great hall, and forced the towering figure of Queen Lucitor to take a knee in order to withstand the forces that now acted upon her. Once the shockwave had gone, Marco and Star dropped their shields and admired the results.

The Lucitor army was now a mix of unconscious, struggling or frightened soldiers that no longer could stand up to the couple before them. Those who could, fled from the great hall in fear of facing the pair. "Maybe we should lead with that next time?" Marco suggested, Star looked at him with mock sadness and responded "But it makes things too easy Marco, you know its more fun the normal way".

"Star...Butterfly!" Came the roar of an, extremely pissed off sounding, Queen Lucitor. The couple looked up to see the furious face of the Queen, her yellow eyes now burned with the flames of deep rage.

Star and Marco looked blankly at the enraged figure, Marco turning to Star and saying a bit too casually "I think we pissed her off.." Star rolled her eyes "Gee Marco you don't say?" she said sarcastically, drawing a laugh from Marco as they both prepared to take on this creature.

"Star, I don't think we can do this as we are" Marco said as he watched Queen Lucitor increase even further in size, the colossal demoness' muscles expanding as she drew more and more strength to annihilate the couple before her.

"Yeah, you're probably right" Said Star as she took a step back and closed her eyes. When they re-opened they glowed a brilliant white and her hearts shone brightly as she rose into the air. Her dress transformed into a golden flowing gown and her horns grew dramatically in size as 2 additional sets of arms and a set of beautiful, radiant gold wings expanded out from her back.

Marco admired as the princess transformed, she always looked beautiful but this form was something else entirely. Marco loved it when Star did this. When Star's eyes stopped glowing she looked down at Marco and giggled "You sure do pick the wrong time to stare yknow that?" she said playfully. Marco shrugged "It never gets old Star" he replied as the pair turned to face the Queen.

"I hope you're ready vermin!" She yelled in a booming voice which shook the hall with each syllable. "I'm going to tear those wings and arms off one by one!" The Queen threatened before charging towards the awaiting couple.

 **Throne Room-Lucitor Citadel**

A tendril of fire gripped the leg of the King. Tamia made a swift movement with her hand, commanding the tendril to shoot upwards, rocketing the king into the ceiling with tremendous force. Tamia continued these movements, having the tendril slam the king's form into each wall of the room, through one of the grand solid oak tables at the side of the room and then finally slamming the king's, now bruised and battered, form into the floor at Tamia's feet.

The king struggled to look up at the merciless look in the girl's eyes. "How?" he asked "How are you this strong!?" he yelled as he attempted to struggle to his feet. Tamia didn't speak, instead blasting the king at point-blank range. The king's body flew back and slammed against the platform that housed the grand, Lucitor throne.

Tom began to stir and looked up groggily to see Tamia walking slowly towards the weakened and struggling figure of his father. "My name is Tamia, I am the lost daughter of Helvete of Helios, I've come to stop my father's madness and I will not allow you to harm Tom! she yelled as a new tendril of flames wrapped around the king and threw him across the room, slamming him through the grand doors and knocking them off their hinges.

Tamia, seeing the king was out cold, took a steady breath out and closed her eyes. Her hair lost its glow and the flames around her dissipated. Once she opened up her eyes again, she saw Tom attempting to get to his feet. "Oh my god, Tom!" She gasped as she ran up to help him, supporting the Prince as he struggled to steady himself.

"Huh, I guess you did have some tricks of your own" Tom said with a slight chuckle. Tamia giggled, "well it's probably one of the only good things my father has given me". Tom smiled as he spoke, staring into the girl's eyes "your father didn't give you that, not a chance".

Tamia looked at Tom with a puzzled glance as to what he was saying. Tom steadied himself and took Tamia's hands in his own, causing her to blush deeply. "When Helvete summoned his full power, he looked like a demon..his face, his demeanour, everything about him was evil and cold" Tom paused and looked deep into Tamia's glistening, scarlet eyes.

"But when you did it, everything about you shone and glittered, you looked like an angel...I've...never seen anything so beautiful" Tom said with a deep blush before looking down in embarrassment at what he'd just said. Tamia was quiet for a few moments and Tom grew evermore worried that he'd fully freaked her out.

Suddenly Tamia's voice came as a whisper from in front of him "Tom...that's..the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me...". Tom looked up at Tamia's face to see that she had a happy smile on her face, which only served to make her appear even more angelic, and a small tear running down her cheek.

Before Tom could respond in any way, he was interrupted by Tamia's soft lips on his own. His eyes widened in surprise at Tamia's sudden action. But all too soon he closed them and eased into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Tamia's waist as hers wrapped around his neck.

After a few, peaceful moments like this, the couple separated. Unsure of what to say, both looked down and blushed deeply. Neither one letting go of their embrace however, that was until they heard the struggling voice of King Lucitor.

"Helvetes...daughter?" the struggling voice came from behind the couple. The two turned to see King Lucitor, upright but clearly suffering the effects of his battle with Tamia. "Well...that explains a lot, but you will not take my throne from me...now...die" he said as he fired a thin blast of green flame directly towards Tamia's heart. Tom leapt between Tamia and the blast.

Tom caught the blast in his palm and struggled to maintain control over it, through his struggle he pointed his index finger towards his father, and fired red blast directly through his father's heart. The king immediately collapsed into a heap, a penny sized hole where his heart had been.

Tom collapsed to his knees, breathing in and out heavily from the sudden ordeal, Tamia crouched down to help the prince. "Tom! Are you okay?" she asked, worried for the boy. Through his gasping he managed to reply "Yeah...yeah I'll be fine".

"You saved my life" she said as she looked over the boy with a grateful smile on her face. Tom placed a gentle hand on her cheek and smirked as he replied "Now we're even" before pulling her into another kiss.

 **Grand Hall-Lucitor Citadel**

The floor shook and cracked as Queen Lucitor's fist slammed into the spot Star and Marco had previously occupied, the couple dodged rapidly, their speed being more than enough to avoid the gigantic swings of this monster.

Between dodges, both teens fired barrages of dozens of blasts at a time towards the Queen, this served to do little aside from piss off the queen even further. Marco and Star exchanged a look on realising this wasn't working.

"Errm Star, you got a plan?" Marco yelled as he dodged yet another wild swing from the rage-filled queen. He fired a blast into the queen's top eye which extended vertically down the centre of her forehead. This caused her to stagger backwards in pain as she attempted to stop the burning in her eye.

"I got one attack that might work, but I need some time to charge it" Star yells back as she gains some distance between her and the queen. "How long do you need?" Marco thunders back as he notices the queen starting to recover from his previous attack. Star begins to charge her spell between her 6 arms as she floated above the ground. "Around 2 minutes" she yells.

Marco sighs in fustration "Dammit, this isn't gonna be fun" he mutters to himself as he drew his sword and began to make his way towards the demoness. Pointing the sword at the creature in a gesture of defiance he yelled "I'll be your opponent now! Understood!?".

"Then your little girlfriend will watch you die, insect!" the queen yelled as she fired a blast of green magic from her eyes. Marco quickly threw up an energy shield to block it. The queen slammed a fist into the energy shield around Marco and the force cracked the shield.

When the queen lifted her hand to strike another blow, Marco lowered the shield and fired a series of red beams into the queen's face. This caused her to keel back in defence as the beams impacted her face multiple times, although to her it was much like getting stung by a bee. Painful but not life threatening, she responded by slamming her hand down towards Marco, who barely managed to dodge this one in time.

Star looked on with a nervous look as she charged her spell, it had only been 30 seconds but already she was afraid of what could happen if Marco made a single mistake. "Please...please don't die Marco..." she whispered to herself in fear. Her eyes glowed and she put all she had into charging the spell, desperately trying to speed up the process and save her knight.

Marco noticed Star's eyes glowing and smiled lightly, knowing exactly why she was putting so much effort into it "You worry too much dummy" he joked to himself as he shot upwards and dealt a punch into the queen's eye, causing her to once again stagger back in pain.

As he fell back down to the floor he fired a blast towards the queen's left horn. The horn cracked and fell from the head of the beast, who screamed in agony at the pain this caused her. Her fury was now total and she began firing blast after blast towards the knight as he dodged and blocked all he could.

Marco managed to take hold of one of the blasts and attempted to push it back, but as he did so the queen fired another at him. The blast sent him flying across the room and he landed in a heap on the floor not far from Star. He was unmoving and completely unresponsive to Star's plees for the boy to get up.

The queen approached, her footsteps shaking the building as she stormed towards the couple. "End of the line Butterfly!" she boomed as she extended her hand outwards to make a grab for Star. Star looked up and shot towards the queen, stopping just in front of her terrifying face.

"Thermonuclear Butterfly Blast!" she yelled, firing a colossal, unstoppable beam of magic from point blank range at the demoness. The queen shot backwards and was slammed through the wall of the great hall and flying out of the citadel onto the charred ground below, landing in a heap.

With the queen dealt with, Star quickly ran to Marco in a panic. "Marco! Marco! Wake up please!" she yelled, grabbing Marco by the shoulders and shaking the boy in an attempt to wake him. Marco made a groggy noise as his eyes struggled to open.

"S...Star?" he said groggily "what happened?". Star smiled and a few tears fell from her eyes onto Marco's face below. She grabbed his face and kissed the boy deeply in relief that he was okay. When they separated, Star laid her head on his chest, grasping his shirt tightly. "I thought I'd lost you" she wept as Marco draped an arm over her and stroked her soft, blonde hair.

He chuckled lightly "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried Star" he joked as he tried to make the girl feel better. She smiled and looked down at him through her glistening, ocean-like eyes, before leaning down and once again placing her soft lips on Marco's.

 **Throne Room-Lucitor Citadel**

A group of generals, their armies accompanying them burst into the throne room. They called out desperately for the king, seeing King Lucitor's lifeless body laid across the floor of the throne room. Looking up in shock they were greeted by the sight of two figures, each of them was stood before the throne of the King and Queen.

General Jeong stepped forward out of the crowd of shocked generals and slowly made his way towards the thrones. Stopping short of the stairs leading up to the platform where the thrones overlooked the mighty hall, he looked up to the figures.

"Prince Tom, I see that you have overcome your father, congratulations" Spoke the general with a kind smile towards the Prince, shocking the other generals even further. Tom stepped forward and looked down upon the group of men that had entered the room which a judging look in his eyes.

"The king is dead, the queen is unfit to rule, I have returned to claim my throne as is my birthright, would anyone here challenge my right to rule?" Tom said in a calm, commanding voice. As he spoke, Star and Marco appeared behind the soldiers, shocking them as they realised that they were surrounded. The enlisted men looked to the generals for their response.

The 5 remaining generals exchanged looks, all of them unsure of what to do next. The first general stepped forward and looked up towards Tom. The prince's face was stern and his presence was a projection of strength and resolve, the general knew what such a challenge would mean.

The man drew his sword, held it up a few inches from his face. He held this position for a few moments before carefully laying down his sword and kneeling down before the prince. His head bowed as he did so in a sign of obedience and respect towards the teen.

Seeing this action, the two generals at either side of him repeated his movements exactly, each laying down their weapons at their feet and kneeling before their prince. The men they commanded all kneeled as their commanding officer did. Two generals left.

The 4th general, a man who was steadfastly loyal to the new alliance with Helvete, stepped forward. "Your highness, I know that I am no match for you and that challenging your right to rule is neither my right nor a battle I could win" He paused and drew his sword as had the others "But I will not lay down my arms and serve a traitor to my King and Queen, I will not fight you now, but you will not stop me from joining my army to the Helios Empire" The general gave a final salute to the prince, which the prince returned respectfully, before turning on his heel and marching his small force of followers out of the kingdom.

Tom now turned to the final remaining general and asked him plainly "Do you wish to follow him, or will you stay? Stay and assist me in bringing this kingdom back into the light, out of the abyss of darkness my parent's plunged it into when they joined this unholy alliance with a maniac?".

The general thought about this for a few moments, before raising his head in pride and drawing his sword. Stepping forward and delivering a salute, which Tom returned. The general then joined the others in laying down his weapon and kneeling before the prince speaking with his head bowed he simply responded.

"I will follow you your highness, as you bring honour back to this kingdom" the general spoke with a conviction and belief in his voice that brought a smile to Tom's face. Tom glanced at Tamia, who also smiled at the general's response and nodded to Tom.

The prince now looked down upon General Jeong, this general who had long supported his efforts despite his alliance to the monarchy, this man who could've stopped Tom at any moment but didn't because of the goodness in his heart. The prince now asked this man "What will you choose, General Jeong?" he spoke with a hopeful tone that Jeong would repeat the actions of the other 4 generals who had stayed.

Jeong looked up towards the Prince, now so close to being a king, he had seen the boy grow from a young age into a fine warrior and he would make a grand ruler of this kingdom. But Jeong knew he could not serve this king as he had served his parents, it simply wouldn't be right. So it was with a heavy heart that he spoke up to his prince.

"Your highness, I am so old now, I have served this kingdom loyally since I was a boy of 16 years, and now at the ripe age of 62, I respectfully request that you allow me to retire from your service" Jeong said as he bowed down towards the prince.

Tom smiled, he had expected something like this, Jeong had been kept from retirement for so long by Tom's parents after all. It was unsurprising that he now hoped Tom would allow him that privilege. "I will allow it, upon your performance of one last service to the kingdom" He spoke aloud, much to the surprise of Jeong, but the general kept his composure and conceded that it was only one last time.

"What are my orders your highness?" he said with a sadness in his voice. But he was suddenly surprised and his mood improved when he heard what the prince wished of him.

"I wish for you to conduct the coronation ceremony, and crown me as the new king of the Lucitor Kingdom, after that, I will allow you to retire as is my duty as king" The prince spoke with a smile on his face, he watched as Jeong raised his head to look the prince in the eye.

"It would be my greatest honour, your highness"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20- A Monster's Love**

 **Lucitor Citadel**

The proud divisions of soldiers that formed the military of the Lucitor Kingdom, formed up in rank and file in the courtyard of the Citadel. Their uniforms had been freshly pressed and polished in a display of grandeur that was fitting of a royal parade, the division commanders out front of their troops with golden hilted swords in scabbards laced with golden thread.

Each man among the forces was standing tall with their medals and polished up buttons glistening in the light. The citizens of the Lucitor Kingdom had gathered in droves to see this event, their faces lit up with excitement and joy at such both the spectacle, but also the liberty and freedom it meant for them.

A voice rained down from atop the platform overlooking the grand square, the voice of General Jeong, commanding the troops to bring themselves to attention. The troops did so in a perfectly uniform manner with a mighty thud of boots on stone flooring, the crowd was eagerly silent at the announcement they knew would follow. A hush fell over the square as the general took his position atop the podium.

The general stood in a stunning red uniform with black trim. Golden rings formed around the cuffs of his sleeves and he wore a long, beautifully braided, aiguillette that hung down to his stomach down from his right shoulder and then came up to meet his collar on the same side. His medals, which numbered a dozen, glittered and shone as they hung from his left breast. Needless to say he was the gold standard for how an officer should look.

He stood on the platform, proudly at attention, and in a resounding voice announced, "His Royal Highness, Prince Thomas Lucitor, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Tamia Furtail, Her Royal Highness Princess Star Butterfly and Sir Marco Diaz". The announcement was met with an enormous cheer that spilled out across the underworld as the crowd celebrated the arrival of their Prince and their liberators, all of whom took their places on the platform.

Tom stood tall in the centre. Dressed in a fully decorated, black, military uniform which was partially covered by a grand royal cape which was a crimson red with white fur outlining it. The cape draped down his back to about a meter behind him, the tail being held from the floor by a servant who stood behind the prince. The aiguillette that hung from his right shoulder was even more grand than the general's, having multiple hanging points that reached across his body, giving him the appearance of being laced with gold.

Tamia stood to his side, smiling brightly at the event. She had been gifted a dress made from fine silk that wrapped gently around her figure to the floor. She had tied her scarlet, glistening hair back into a single ponytail that hung down to her lower back. The entire look completed by a necklace with a thin silver chain that held a small, black diamond, pendant at it's centre.

Star and Marco stood to one side of the new couple. They had already been made aware of Tom and Tamia's newly found affections and were both struggling to hold in giggling everytime that the new couple snuck glances at each other. General Jeong stepped forward once again, after the crowd's cheers had dimmed to some degree, and began to speak in an official tone across the crowd.

"Prince Tom, I must now ask if you will take the royal oath?" he spoke as he directed himself to face the prince, ensuring he didn't block the crowd's view of their soon-to-be monarch. Tom was nervous but attempted to hide it as best he could, he stood as tall and as proud as he could before announcing in a clear voice "I shall".

General Jeong smiled lightly towards Tom before continuing to read from the book that held his coronation directions. "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of the Lucitor Kingdom and all her possessions and territories according to the laws and customs of the people, set forth by the royal order?" Jeong asked the prince calmly and clearly.

"I solemnly promise to do so" Tom responded, a still had formed over the crowd, a contented silence that a new age was being brought forward by these words and oaths. A still that noone wanted to interrupt through cheers or speech, this was a moment for Tom and Tom alone to come into his own.

General Jeong continued his directions and turned the page to read the next section of the pledge. "Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?" he said aloud. Tom responded simply "I will".

Jeong turned to a nearby pillow being presented to him by a servant, on it lay the grand sword of the King of the Lucitor kingdom. It was a long, steel blade in a black scabbard with a golden chape that was engraved with the design of a twisted flame that continued it's spiral up to the top of the scabbard.

The Guard of the sword was made from finest steel formed into a bowtie style and decorated by engravings of vines that twisted through the crossguard and at each end surrounded an engraved design of the Lucitor crest. The Grip was a black leather weave that was sewn on with gold and pinned in place by silver pins at regular intervals. Finally the pommel of the sword was a simple, rounded pommel, formed from a solid block of fine silver and had an engraving across it that read "Sionis rex, a cunctis hostibus defendat".

Jeong presented the sword to Tom and hung it from Tom's belt as he was granted the right to wield it. He then took the Royal crown from a pillow that was held aloft by another servant. The crown was made from finest gold and in its centre sat a red diamond that shone when the light hit it.

Jeong took the crown and, placing it atop Tom's head spoke aloud for the crowd to hear him clearly. "With this oath spoken and by the power invested in me under the laws of the Lucitor Kingdom, I know pronounce you hencefourth as King Thomas Lucitor the First, long may you reign as a just and noble monarch". With this announcement the crowd cheered in a grand celebration, the divisions stood in the square raised weapons and saluted their new monarch as he took his place at the front of the platform to receive the salute.

Tom stood proud overlooking his people, his kingdom. Finally it was his, he could now bring it out of the darkness that had overshadowed it under his mother and father and bring it into a prosperous and peaceful new era. Of course, the peaceful part would have to wait, there was one more score to settle first. Helvete must be brought to justice, and the sentence could be nothing short of death, such a monster does not deserve the right to life, a right he sees fit to take at will.

But for now it was time for a celebration, the coronation did come with a royal ball after all, and there was a certain angelic girl he wanted to share his first dance as king with.

 **Butterfly Castle-Throne Room-Next Morning**

Helvete sat on the grand throne of the Butterfly Kingdom. He had had it altered of course, along with the entire castle. The old flags displaying the crests of the Butterfly family and the armies it controlled had been torn down and burned along with most other artifacts and treasures that displayed the prestige and glory of the now fallen kingdom that lay under the grip of the Helios forces.

He overlooked his newly conquered castle and smiled with a pleasurable grin, this is everything he had imagined it would be. He knew there was still a final matter of the crushing of the remnants of the Butterfly family to deal with, but for now what harm was there in simply enjoying some of the pleasures of victory.

This was now after all, a complete empire. A Helios Empire that encapsulated all of the Helios dimension, the Ponyhead kingdom, the now puppeted Lucitor Kingdom and the Butterfly Kingdom. It was a nation of unparalleled size by Mewnian standards and it's conquest was absolute and unchallenged. Well save for those unrefined, unclean, peasants who laughably called themselves 'The Johansen Kingdom', They would be dealt with soon enough.

His occupation of the Butterfly kingdom had for now been turned into his greatest project. Already he had engineers and architects working day and night, drawing up plans for his complete overhaul of his conquered lands. Grand architectural marvels, lavish public works and an industrial revolution that would rocket Mewni into the modern age were only a small portion of his grand plans for this new empire he would craft from the crude beginnings the Butterfly family had resided over.

"I think I may keep the castle though" he muttered to himself as he admired the murals and decorations that lined the walls and ceilings of the throne room. "It does have a certain charm to it after all, bait like a holiday home" he chuckled as he continued to muse over his plans.

His thoughts were interrupted by a servant entering the throne room and bowing before the emperor. "Your Imperial Majesty, A visitor has requested an audience with you, he says he has urgent news from the Lucitor Kingdom" the servant spoke as he rose from his bowed position and looked up to the monarch for his responce.

Helvete looked at the servant with an expression of confusion for a moment, what could the Lucitors possibly want? Didn't they get enough compensation for their...minimal Assistance, in his conquests when he gave them the Ponyhead Kingdom to administrate as they saw fit? This had better be good if they knew what was good for them.

He sat up in his throne and straightened himself out to appear more dignified than he had been while he was daydreaming and then ordered the servant to let them in. The servant bowed again and turned to leave the room. The emperor sighed and stood to welcome this guest, as much as he was fustrated by the appearance of the guest in the first place.

The servant returned and cleared his throat before delivering the announcement. "General Icho, commander of the Lucitor 3rd Regiment, it should be noted your imperial majesty that the general is accompanied by the regiment he commands". Helvete nods to the servant in aknowledgement of this information. His regiment is with him then? That's an interesting detail, this couldn't possibly be something so stupid as a threat could it? Helvete almost chuckled at the thought of something so pathetic.

General Icho walked into the throne room, coming to a but a few meters from the emperor. He saluted the emperor, which was returned, before making his report. "Your imperial majesty, I have come to inform you of a grave tragedy that has befallen my kingdom and it's rightful monarch" The general began as the emperor took his seat in order to listen to the general's tale.

"Princess Butterfly, Prince Tom, Sir Marco and an unknown girl accompanying them have seized control of the Lucitor kingdom through the defeat of it's royal family. The generals of the Lucitor army have all sworn loyalty to Prince Tom as their new king, except for me your imperial majesty, I have chosen to assist you in throwing back these invaders and re-taking my homeland, my army is at your command" The general spoke with zeal and passion as he delivered the final piece of this rhetoric, albeit to the unimpressed face of the emperor who sat above him, an expression of blank discontent on his face.

"So, allow me to make sense of this for a moment" Helvete spoke as he stood from his throne, he walked slowly down the steps towards the general as he spoke, each step giving off a deeper atmosphere of danger and darkness. "You came to report to me, the failure of the Lucitor family, to retain their throne?" he questioned the general who simply nodded in response, a growing look of fear in his eyes.

"You tell me, they failed to succeed against a group of 4...precisely 4 rebels...when they had an army of thousands at their disposal, alongside their own considerable abilities?" Helvete darkly spoke as he reached the bottom of the steps and stood a mere arm's length from the general. The general was now petrified by the presence of this emperor and was praying to whatever god would listen that this man would show gratitude to the general for his loyalty.

"And finally, that you, instead of fighting for your kingdom and homeland to the death, decided to take it upon yourself to invite yourself into my kingdom and army?" Helvete said, his eyes never shifting from the piercing stare that gripped the general's soul as he spoke. The general gave yet another nod in agreement to Helvete's words, he could not summon the courage within him to speak to this monarch, whose aura and presence felt so...dark and unforgiving.

"Good, I heard you correctly then" Helvete began, "Well, allow me to make something perfectly clear, I have no need for disloyal weaklings who will not give their last for the cause, you have demonstrated that when in the moment, you will run rather than fight for your nation, and I have no tolerance for an attitude like that in my empire" These words were spoken as he raised his hand, extending a finger outwards and pointing directly between the eyes of the general, mere inches from the general's face.

As a ball of flames appeared at Helvete's fingertip, the general suddenly found his voice as he began to attempt to back away from the emperor. "Please, no, your majesty I can help you...Please don't..." His pleas for mercy were cut off when Helvete fired a thin beam of flames through the man's skull, leaving a perfectly finger sized hole through the glabella of the man. The general fell limply to the floor, bleeding his last onto the marble floor of the former Butterfly throne room.

Turning to his servant, who stood in the corner unmoved by the actions of his emperor, Helvete spoke deceptively calmly to the man. "Kindly get me General Kahchi, and send for someone to clean this filth off my new floor" The servant bowed at the waist towards the emperor and spoke as calmly as a man contented "Of course your imperial majesty, right away". But as the servant turned, Helvete spoke once more "Oh and have the Lucitor soldiers outside executed immediately".

 **Lucitor Citadel-Morning after the Coronation**

Tom, Tamia, Star and Marco were all gathered in the throne room of the Lucitor Citadel, they had ditched their previous night's formal attire and were now dressed for war, awaiting their next stage of liberating Mewni.

The night had been one of splendor and magnificence, the first dance of the night was taken by Tom and Tamia of course. A dance that was as calculated, and beautiful as the first dance Star and Marco had shared at the blood moon ball. Tom and Tamia had been so lost in each others embrace during their time of the ballroom floor, that they hadn't noticed when the rest of the guests had been permitted to join them on the dance floor.

Star of course had dragged Marco to dance immediately, the two laughing and joking with each other as they danced the night away with the happiness that only true love and trust could bring. Even on the slow dances they couldn't help but take the opportunity to giggle lightly at the newly formed couple dancing not far from them. This hadn't prevented them from getting lost in their own little world a few times however, only being snapped out of it on one occasion because Star had spotted nachos and rushed for them, dragging Marco behind as was her usual style.

As his final act of the night, Tom had formally accepted General Kahchi's retirement, the old general struggling to keep a stiff upper lip as he thanked his new king for the generous allowance at this difficult time.

But now was the time for a serious job to begin, Tom, now freshly crowned King of the Lucitor Kingdom was giving some final instructions to his new high general. "General Modrich, you are to see to the defense of the kingdom while I am away, when the time comes to engage Helvete directly I will return to take command of the armies, in the meantime, train as many as you can, we're going to need all the hands we can in this war". The general nodded in agreement "Of course your majesty, I'll not fail you, Good luck your majesty" The man spoke before saluting Tom, which the king returned.

Turning to his friends, Tom spoke once again. "I cannot thank you all enough for all you've done to free my kingdom, Now we're going to free Mewni, I promise you'll have the entire underworld at your disposal to defeat him". The rest of the group smiled "Anytime..your majesty" Marco joked as him and Tom chuckled at the new title.

Tom took his dimensional scissors that he had seized off his father and cut a portal before them. Star and Marco immediately rushed through, always eager to jump between dimensions, a love that had not faultered no matter how many times they did it. Tom took Tamia's hand and asked gently, "You ready?". Tamia smiled and pecked Tom on the cheek "Always" she said as the two stepped through the portal.

 **Crystal Dimension**

The group emerged from the portal, a vast landscape greeted them as they stepped into the crystal dimension. The skyline was a deep black void which seemed to stretch forever, lit only by the thousands of small twinkles of the far off stars in that black void. The grand space was a vast desert of tall, pale crystals that glinted and angled the light in all directions as it bounced from crystal to crystal. The view never remained the same as you moved, the crystals seeming to change shape as the light bouncing off them hit the groups eyes in different angles with each step.

The group walked through that mysterious dimension with great caution. This confusing land of crystals had only one resident who wasn't frozen, but he wasn't always the most...stable of beings. Rhombulus had a tendency to overreact and take extreme actions where it was unnecessary, especially in defense of his prisoners, all of whom were encased deep in the unbreakable crystals he produced.

Time and again the group would pass a face frozen in the walls nearby, mixed expressions of shock, anger and terror on their still faces, unmoved through the centuries of imprisonment in this empty, unforgiving prison without walls.

Tamia, having never seen this place before, couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole thing. She had heard stories of her father committing horrific deeds her entire life but had been spared viewing anything like this. It wasn't genocide, and it wasn't torture, but it's cruelty was far more subtle than that. An insidious darkness resided over this punishment that Mewni either hadn't considered, or simply did not care about.

All of these prisoners, every soul trapped among the crystalline maze, would never grow old...never die while trapped here. All of them would out live everyone they've ever known and loved. They would all remain still as the passage of time marched on, ignoring their unmoving cells. It was an incredibly horrific realization that Tamia had come to and it wasn't until Tom grabbed her and held her close to him that she realized she'd been crying.

Star and Marco shared a glance, both realizing what Tamia had been crying about. "Yeah, we should probably talk about getting Rhombulus a different job when all this is over" Star said as the pair continued to search for the being responsible for overseeing this dimensional prison. "Yeah, well, hopefully after this is done he won't have anymore monsters to imprison, I'm sure Mewni will change it's tune on its perception of monsters when they help liberate them" Marco said with a smile as Star smiled sweetly at his words.

The group soon came to an opening, a wide space in the crystals that seemed to house a crudely built living quarters. However it was by all accounts abandoned by it's occupier, Star called out into the space. "Rhombulus? Are you there?" she yelled into the emptiness, met with nothing but the gaunt quiet of the crystals.

The group grew nervous at the silence, this was clearly bad. The guardian of the prison was nowhere to be found and he was the only one who could possibly free the army that they required. Tom turned to Marco, "I hope you've got a plan B...".

The king was cut short by a white beam hitting him and a large crystal forming around him. Frozen in the position he had stood, an unmoving expression of nervousness on his face. Tamia yelled out "Tom!?, What the hell just happened!?" she turned to see a figure moving in the crystals. Her hair glowed as she drew brilliant red flames to her palms.

Shouting towards the figure in anger she launched a warning shot of flames to the front of where the figure was running, causing it to halt and face down the girl "Let him go now, or else!" she threatened, still wielding the flames that grew brightly in her palms. The being did not respond, instead bringing it's arms close to it's head and a white light began to build between them.

Tamia could tell the being was aiming for another attack, and so prepared one of her own, drawing her hands together and expanding a ball of flames in front of her. She looked in anger towards the being and shouted "Last chance! Let him go now!" She yelled, drawing no response or change in action from the being.

As the two looked to be about to collide in battle, Star cried out "Rhombulus Stop! It's us, Star and Marco!". The creature lowered it's beam at this and looked towards Star, apparently unconcerned by Tamia's threats. He began to run towards the group and suddenly it's voice could be heard. "Star? Marco? It really is you!" cried Rhombulus as he greeted the two in a hug. The pair returned the hug briefly but Star quickly broke it to scold the crystal being.

"Rhombulus, I'm happy to see you too, but you release Tom this instant!" she spoke as if yelling at a naughty child. Rhombulus was saddened by this change in tone of the Princess, he ashamedly nodded and turned to Tom's crystal, firing a pale blue beam at it which dissolved the crystal and released the young king. Tom took a deep breath, gasping for air as he fell from his previous position onto the floor. Tamia quickly rushed to help him to his feet and ensure he was okay.

"Sorry about that your highness" he says to Tom apologetically. Tom nods as he tries to catch his breath, "It's fine, I understand" he says through his attempts to reassure the, tad panicky, Tamia that he was fine. Rhombulus turned back to Star and Marco, "So, what can I do for the both of you? After what happened to Mewni I take it you're not here for a cup of tea and a catch up?" he says, realizing what he'd just said however he quickly turns to Star apologetically and quickly stutters out "Oh..Star I'm..I'm so sorry about what happened I..I shouldn't have.."

Star held up a hand and reassured Rhombulus in a strong voice "It's fine Rhombulus, we're here because we need your help to put things right" Rhombulus looked at Star in slight confusion. "Okay well...what do you need then?" he cautiously asked, not sure he was liking where this was headed "Because if you're gathering the commission to fight, I fear it might not be enough on it's own" he qualified to the teens before him.

"No, its nothing like that" Marco began, since it was his plan he should probably be the one to ask Rhombulus to do this, although he wasn't looking forward to the reaction it had to be said. "Basically Rhombulus...in order to take back Mewni, We need to know where Globgor is".

The crystal guardian's single eye went wide with shock and his snake hands gasped at the name, he took a few paces back, unsure that he'd heard Marco correctly. He asked in a gasping tone "You want...what?". The creature could barely speak through the shock, he certainly wasn't taking this well, that was for certain.

"Globgor is the only one who can lead a monster army, not to mention that by all accounts he's the most powerful monster to ever walk on Mewnian soil, since Eclipsa is imprisoned by Helvete, he'll be sure to help us if it means saving her" Marco put forward confidently and bluntly. There was no point sugarcoating this, he was going to react the same no matter how Marco tried to put this.

"No...No no no no no" Rhombulus said repeatedly, shaking his head in defiance as he did so. "I will not unleash that beast back into these lands, I was put under strict orders by Queen Festivia to never unleash him under any circumstances" he stood in total defiance of these requests being made of him. He couldn't possibly release that monster, it would be catastrophic if they couldn't calm him or get him to work for them. It was too risky, it was too much of a breech of the rules.

"..Would you see Mewni destroyed then Rhombulus...Queen Moon, Me and Marco all put to death?" Star asked. This drew an immediate look of horror from Rhombulus, he shook his head profusely. He wanted nothing more than to see Star rise to become the Queen he knew she was destined to be, she was the only one who was always kind to him no matter what after all.

"Then help us...you have to do this..please Rhombulus, otherwise we will all die, and Mewni will be lost forever" she pleaded to the crystal being. Whatever heart he had, this gesture quickly melted it. He fustratedly cried that he'd do it, albeit with a look on his face like he knew he was going to somehow regret this. He gestured for the group to follow him through the crystals as he walked towards a great door that was sealed shut by colossal chains.

 **Globgor's Chamber-Crystal Dimension**

The group walked through the door into a colossal chamber whose walls extended high into the black void that formed the sky of this dimension, there was little else in this room but it's impressive center piece. There, frozen in a gigantic crystal that was as tall as a 6 story building, was frozen a giant of a monster.

His skin was a scarlet red, with great stripes that slashed across his arms that were a deeper, crimson red. His four eyes were a pale yellow and he was frozen in a pose that made it clear he had been enraged and in mid-roar prior to his freezing. Star could clearly see on his left hand was a golden wedding band. She could immediately guess what had caused his rage prior to being crystallized and was saddened by such a fate having happened to this creature that Eclipsa spoke so highly of.

Rhombulus looked nervously towards Star and Marco, "Are you really sure about this? He's incredibly strong, I'm not sure if I could take him down again once he's free?" he spoke cautiously to the pair. But Star simply turned to the crystal being and said bluntly "Do it".

Rhombulus sighed and turned to the gigantic crystal, he brought both of his arms to his head and fired a pale blue beam of energy at the crystal. The crystal faded away from the top downwards. As it passed his eyes, globgor hastily began to look around with all four of them, taking in his surroundings in what was clearly enraged panic. It was when it reached past his mouth and head that things took a turn, an almighty roar erupted from his previously frozen mouth.

The roar shook the entire dimension with it's power and ferocity, the group immediately shielded their ears against the assault that was being conducted against their senses from this almighty cry of anger and pain that emanated from the creature. When the roar finally came to a halt and the group could release their ears. They were met with a creature that stood as tall as the room itself, the horns on his head nearly touching the ceiling of the great chamber. He looked down upon the beings below him, a look of anger and confusion in his eyes at the scene before him. It was clear to the group that the situation must be explained before the creature decides to take drastic action.

"Globgor!" Star cried up to the creature, as all four of it's eyes responded to it's name being called, they all looked towards Star with an intensity that made the princess nervous almost immediately and she took Marco's hand immediately. Marco squeezed Star's hand lightly to let her know he was right there, he wouldn't leave her to this creature, not a chance.

"Who you!?" the creature boomed down from on high as his voice rocked the eardrums of all those in that mighty chamber. "Where this? Where my Eclipsa!?" his voice shaking with rage as he demanded answers from the group of these, tiny people before him.

Star tried to remain calm though the nerves of speaking to a monster such as this, she'd fought hundreds of monsters and extremely powerful beings before in her life. But Globgor was something new entirely, never before had she so dreaded the idea of facing a monster should it come to a battle, but this one terrified her with his sheer size and power.

"My name is Star Butterfly, I'm Eclipsa's Great great great great great ect. granddaughter, You're in the crystal dimension, you've been frozen here for over 300 years..I know that's a lot to take in but we need your help, Eclipsa especially needs your help" Star spoke with as much confidence she could muster, gripping tightly to Marco's hand as she did so. Marco admired her as she spoke, astounded that the girl he had fallen for was able to do things like this, even after all these years since their first kiss, he couldn't believe that she loved him as she did.

Globgor looked around the chamber for a few moments, he wasn't as threatening in his positioning or appearance anymore, instead he looked...confused and lost, unsure of what to do or what to think. He looked back down to Star and spoke again, however this time the tone was far more gentle and calm, although it did hide within it a aura of concern and fear.

"Where my Eclipsa? Is she safe? She not with you, Globgor not know what do without her.." he spoke almost timidly now, like a child without it's mother. His size clearly hid a side of his character that was more unsure and more childlike and innocent than anyone would've expected.

Star sadly shook her head, "She's been taken prisoner by Helvete, We need you to help us free her, you're the only one who can help us, please Globgor, help us free her and Mewni from Helvete's evil" Star spoke with a now sympathetic tone towards the creature, she looked at the wedding band on his finger and then looked back up to the creature's eyes. "She talked about you alot yknow, she truly loves you more than anything, I even had to buy her a plush toy once because it looked like you" Star spoke soothingly to the monster.

Globgor's eyes softened and suddenly, at great surprise to the group, especially Rhombulus, he began to shrink. His form grew smaller and smaller until he stood just a bit taller than Rhombulus. Star and the rest were now thoroughly confused and their expression displayed this fact clear enough that even Globgor picked up on it.

"Globgor can shrink and grow, it Globgor's power, it why Globgor monster king" he responded calmly, now at this height his voice was much less booming and more normal, he sounded almost the same as buff frog just without the accent or intelligence.

"Well, Eclipsa didn't mention that part" Star said, still shocked by this new fact that she'd discovered. Globgor simply responded "Of course, how else you think we create Globgor daughter Meteora" He spoke plainly, clearly not embarrassed by what he had just said.

Star quickly interrupted anymore speech of that sort "Too much information Globgor, waaaaay too much information" she insisted as a deep blush came to her face, it certainly didn't help that Marco was nearby and also blushing while clearly sneaking looks at Star.

Star attempted to put those sorts of thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrate on getting Globgor on side. "Globgor, here's how it is, the plan is to free the monsters held in this dimension, you then lead these monsters and help us finally defeat Helvete and free Eclipsa? Does that sound good?" Star asked in as official a tone as she could manage despite the circumstances that had preceded this conversation.

Globgor looked through the door to the rear of the group, witnessing the vast maze of crystals that held perhaps thousands of monsters in timeless stasis, many of whom he recognized as former members of his own tribe. He turned back to Star and spoke as officially as he could, for once trying to sound like a ruler of a tribe. "I help you free Mewmew, I help you kill Helvete, you help me free my love, you help Globgor be with his love Eclipsa" he asked Star.

Star simply nodded in response, and this was all Globgor needed "Okay, Globgor and monster brothers help you, crystal man free monster brothers, Globgor make sure they free Mewmew" he confirmed the deal with Star, who immediately nodded her head in agreement and extended her hand for a handshake. Globgor luckily understood this concept and shook his hand with Star's. He then turned to Rhombulus and spoke with a slightly angry tone towards the being who had imprisoned him and his tribe "Okay crystal man, time to free monster brothers".

Butterfly Castle-Throne Room

Helvete sat upon his throne within the now, freshly cleaned, throne room of the formerly named Butterfly castle. His thoughts however had now shifted to this troublesome news of the Lucitor Kingdom. While his words to that pathetic excuse for a general had been true, he couldn't help but note that 4 teenagers had been able to overthrow an entire kingdom using only their own efforts.

"They cannot be underestimated, that is now certain" Helvete spoke to himself as a servant cleared his throat at the entrance to the grand hall before making his announcement. "Your imperial majesty, Grand General Kahchi is presented before you as requested" the servant announced to the near empty hall, save for himself, Kahchi and Helvete. Helvete acknowledged the announcement regardless and watched as Kahchi approached the platform.

Kahchi smartly halted himself before the platform and saluted his emperor in the usual fashion, which was returned by the emperor. "Your Imperial Majesty, You requested my presence?" Kahchi asked of his emperor.

Helvete looked down at the general before him and grinned sadistically as he spoke with a smooth and yet sly and terrifying voice "Yes general" he began, causing Kahchi to gulp nervously with anticipation of what could possibly follow from his emperor's speech "There has been a change of plans"

 **A/N: Globgor is free and now joins Star,Marco,Tom and Tamia in their mission to Liberate Mewni from Helvete, but Helvete is aware that the Lucitor's have fallen, what will the vile dictator's next actions be? Until next time guys :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21-The Hunt for Hekapoo**

 **Crystal Dimension**

Rhombulus and Globgor strolled through the maze of crystal prisons that lined this dimension. Although 'strolled' was perhaps the wrong word to describe it. Globgor walked with a sadness in his heart as he viewed the contents of the crystalline maze, many of the monsters contained within were his friends, his brothers. To witness them encased in these prisons, frozen and forgotten by even time itself, it filled him with an immense sadness superseded only by his desire to rescue Eclipsa. To tell the truth it was probably the only thing stopping him from crushing Rhombulus right then and there for this atrocity against his kind.

Rhombulus walked with a fixed expression of nervous paranoia, still not trusting Globgor even for a second, despite the fact the monster was now shrunk down to a relatively normal size. Rhombulus knew her could assume his normal size at any time and it would be a hard fight to stop him should it come to that.

Globgor suddenly stopped and pointed towards one of the nearby crystals, containing a humanoid figure with three eyes and a single large black tentacle in place of his left arm. The tentacle wasn't much like one would see on an octopus however, it appeared razor sharp and the end of it was almost like a dagger. It was clear this monster was a threat to any who stood against it. "This one first" Globgor commanded, without much civility to the crystal guardian.

Rhombulus mumbled under his breath about being ordered around by a monster. Globgor heard the mumbling and fired back in an annoyed tone "You say something?" he questioned as he looked down at Rhombulus. Rhombulus quickly shook his head, realising it probably wasn't the best idea to piss him off. "No no, just thinking out loud about..errm..." He thought for a moment, trying to think of what Globgor would like to hear "...How..best to save Eclipsa? Yeah..." he nervously said, hoping Globgor wasn't smart enough to see through his ploy.

Globgor raised a sceptical eyebrow, indicating he didn't exactly buy that story. However he decided it would be best if he let it go for now. "Just free monster brother" he said impatiently as he pointed to the crystal. Rhombulus obeyed and fired a pale beam of magic towards the crystal.

The crystal thawed and the monster inside fell to the floor as it tried to catch it's breath. When it finally looked up, it stared straight into the eyes of Globgor. The monster quickly bowed his head and began to speak "My lord Globgor, I can only express my upmost gratitude for freeing me, I assume I have not been here long if you are here my lord". The monster spoke, expressing great respect and admiration for Globgor.

"I here trapped too, monster brothers, whole monster tribe trapped here 300 year" Globgor replied, drawing a shocked gasp from the monster on the ground. "300 years!?" he cried out in surprise "How is that even possible!?" he said as he looked around the dimension, confused at the sight. He then turned and stared daggers at Rhombulus, who gulped and began to step back.

"You..." the monster said with a seething anger to his voice "I remember now, it was you...you locked me in this prison..you've cost me all these years..I ought to slice you in two for this, bastard!" The monster began to lift his razor-sharp tentacle in preparation for an attack against Rhombulus. But he was frozen in place when Globgor placed a hand on the monster's chest.

"Me know you angry Crypton, but we need diamond man to free monster brothers, Eclipsa in danger, Helvete destroy MewMew!" Globgor said with urgency which shocked Crypton into lowering his attack. He nodded to his leader that he understood before staring daggers at Rhombulus and giving a warning in a seething tone that shook the guardian to his core. "If you betray us and try to lock any of my brothers and sisters back up after this is done, I'll cut you up into pieces too small to count, you understand?" he threatened, receiving a nervous nod from Rhombulus.

Globgor continued walking, "Come diamond man, next one over here" he said, beckoning Rhombulus to follow the monster. Rhombulus sighed in relief and muttered to himself "This is gonna be a long day.." before following Globgor to the next crystal.

Meanwhile as Rhombulus and Globgor were freeing the monster army, albiet with a lot of tension between the two, The group was debating on their next move. Star argued that they needed to save her mother and Eclipsa as soon as possible, who knows what Helvete was doing to them by now? Marco, Tom and Tamia listened patiently as Star spoke, but it was Marco who eventually cut in with his own thought.

"We're not strong enough yet to just storm in, guns blazing, and rescue Moon and Eclipsa, Helvete and his army would wipe the floor with us as we are now" he utters grimly. This drew a hurt look of betrayal from Star as she looked towards the knight with the glint of fresh tears in her eyes. He quickly clarified his remark however, stating calmly "If we had Hekapoo, we could easily learn where they are being held and then be able to stage an escape using our dimensional scissors".

Star sniffed, but was silent for a little while as she considered this thought, she then wiped her eyes and nodded with a small smile towards her boyfriend. This made Marco smile back, he knew how hard it was for Star to stay strong through all of this, but he couldn't afford for her to do anything reckless that would extinguish the last hope they had. Tom took out his dimensional scissors "Hekapoo's Dimension then?" he asked, receiving a confirming nod from the group. The king then cut a portal with the scissors and the group began to walk towards it.

"Wait!" a shout came across from the crystalline maze. The group turned in alert towards the cry, it was Rhombulus who was running towards the group with panic in his eye, a rather confused looking Globgor following behind him. "You're just gonna leave me here? With.." Rhombulus hesistated before uttering the next sentence, becoming increasingly aware of Globgor standing behind him. "...with...them?" he said quietly, indicating to the small force of monsters he'd already freed, as well as the sea of frozen one's he is yet to free.

Globgor rolled his eyes at this "We no hurt you diamond man, you free monster brothers, they no attack unless Globgor say so, and Globgor no say so" he said in a slightly annoyed tone at the accusation that the monsters would hurt Rhombulus. Star smiled sweetly at Globgor "Thank you Globgor" she said pleasantly, drawing a toothy grin from the beast. She then looked down at Rhombulus "See? You'll be fine, besides, we'll be back once we're ready to take down Helvete alright?" she said sternly.

Rhombulus simply nodded, a tad embarrassed at his actions, and then walked off into the maze to free more of his trapped souls. Globgor gave one final farewell to Star and the group before turning and walking behind Rhombulus into the crystals. With that settled, the group entered the portal, and began their mission to find Hekapoo.

 **Butterfly Castle-War Room**

Kahchi and Helvete were stood in the grand room in the centre of the former Butterfly castle. Accompanied by a series of generals and senior officers of the Helios Imperial Army, all of whom were now gathered before a map which showed the Mewnian Kingdoms, with the Butterfly Kingdom in the centre. The argument between the military men was intense as debate over what action to take was beginning to get personal.

"It is undoubtedly clear that the enemy will use the Johansen Kingdom as a forward base for their invasion of the Butterfly Kingdom, if we eliminate that possibility then this rebellion may even surrender outright!" Fired Kahchi towards his staff. The men before him were a mix of support, sceptical and even downright disapproving faces at this plan of action, another general showing his distaste when he decided to speak up.

"General it is clear throughout these campaigns that your plans have always led to problems with the battles, certainly we have won victory upon victory, but suffered unacceptable and avoidable losses throughout this war as a result of your underestimation of the enemy forces, I fear once again you'll lead our armies into the jaws of death with this invasion, and just how many times do you think our forces can come up victorious if you keep this trend going?"

The general spoke in a dismissive and very blunt tone towards Kahchi, who looked more and more furious with each syllable that escaped his subordinates mouth. He slammed the map table in rage, causing the figurines upon it to shake and topple as the counter shook with the force of his blow. "How dare you question my methods!" He yelled in anger, staring the general down as he voiced his offence "I have won the empire for our emperor! My tactics and war plans have brought us crushing victories against our enemies and I'll be damned if I take criticism from a man who's divisions have suffered the worst casualties of this war as a result of his leadership!"

This argument was now escalating to personal levels, and as the two generals continued to bring the disagreement to a peak, one or two of the quieter officers began to notice how uncharacteristically quiet that the emperor was being. Helvete was stood at the end of the map table, his eyes closed with an impacient expression on his face, as though he was waiting for something and it was starting to get on his nerves with how long it was taking. The officers who noticed fell silent and drew their expectant gazes towards the emperor.

After a small while, more and more officers around the table took note and began to quell their arguments, until it was simply Kahchi and Uritas who were left to argue at what was now a shouting match. "At least I'm not so incompetent that I was injured in a one on one fight by some teenage knight who's never so much as commanded a battle before!" Uritas yelled at Kahchi, who immediately clutched the wound Marco had given him in their previous battle.

"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Kahchi yelled at the top of his voice as the two men began to draw their swords in expectance of a fight. But before one could lunge towards the other, a voice cut through their expressions of rage and hatred. "Enough! Fight in here and I'll put you both down where you stand!" Came the angered voice of Helvete, who had finally opened his eyes and was staring in anger at the two generals, his pupils glowing brightly as he spoke.

The two generals immediately placed their swords back into their scabbards and dipped their heads in shame, much like children being punished by a parent. The emperor then sighed with fustration and his eyes lost their glow. "Are you two are quite finished with the pathetic argument?" he asked unnervingly calmly. The general's simply nodded in agreement, not daring to speak up to the emperor.

"Excellent, that's what I thought" He spoke calmly, finally smiling as he directed the men's attention towards the map. He zoomed the map into the Butterfly kingdom itself, confusing the men around him who assumed he was planning another invasion. Instead he pointed to Butterfly castle and said simply "This, is our enemies prize, is it not?". This question drew a confused series of nods from his generals.

"Exactly, so...why not let them fight for it as they wish?" he said, a wicked smile crossing his lips as the officers once again looked on with expressions of confusion and nervousness at just where the emperor could be going with this. "The plan gentlemen is very simple, we let them come to us" he spoke plainly.

Pointing towards the map he began to outline his defensive plans for the city. "The enemy will gather whatever forces they can, but they know that a defensive war for them will not only gain zero ground back for Mewni, but will only ensure that they lose in a more languid fashion" he points out as he begins to use the tip of his finger to craft drawings of flame upon the stone of the map, these drawings outlining the defences he planned to construct for his newly captured city.

"We will use our armies to mount a defence of this kingdom that the enemy will never be able to break through, they'll crash against this city like water on a mighty cliff, using this method, we will bleed their forces dry, slaughter their leaders and bring their hope crashing down into the dust" he spoke with a passion and sinister tone that, while the generals delighted in the idea of finally bringing the war to a close, they found disturbing at the same time. It was as if this man found far too much pleasure in bringing such destruction upon so many, but none of them was about to argue this with him.

"Once this little battle is done, and the last of the Butterfly family lie at my feet, then we can sweep up the Lucitor and Johansen kingdom's at our leisure" he said, that sinister grin taking evermore precedence on his face as he imagined just how far his empire would stretch, it was larger than even his most ambitious plans had ever even considered, it would be a lie to say he wasn't deeply excited at the thought.

The officers however could not entirely see the same vision as the emperor, they were far too concerned by what could go wrong. This is essentially allowing an invasion of the empire in order to defeat it's enemies, they would have to concede land in order to obtain victory. They'd never fought like this in all of their history, none of these officers knew how to fight in this way. Just like that, the murmured voices of the officers began to fill the room. None dared speak louder than a low murmur but the voices were unmistakably there, and Helvete noticed them quickly.

"Is there a problem gentlemen?" he spoke darkly, his eyes glowing lightly as he spoke, demonstrating to the officers that there was consequences for an incorrect response here. The officers chose to shake their heads in a fervent gesture of denial that they had any problems with this new plan presented before them.

Helvete's expression turned into a pleasant smile as he began to direct his officer's gaze towards the map once more "Good, you had me worried for a moment there, now, let's organise the defensive lines shall we?".

 **Hekapoo's Dimension**

The gang emerged from the portal to find themselves stood before Hekapoo's castle. Although compared to the grand castle's of the Butterfly's, the Ponyhead's and the Lucitors, this was more of a turret. But it was what the scissors master called home and as so it was deemed a castle despite it's size.

Marco emerged from the portal last, Immediately he was concerned by the sight of the castle. It was far too...quiet. This place was usually guarded by not only a small platoon that Mewni had stationed here for protection of the scissors master that was one of the primary factors of Mewni's power, but also the lack of Hekapoo clones that also personally guarded her home. There was always at least two of them as guards on the door, but now...nothing.

"Something's wrong here" Marco said instinctively, this drew immediate looks of concern from those around the knight, especially Star. "What do you mean Marco?" Star asked with a concerned tone towards the knight. Marco remained on guard, drawing his sword and looking around for nearby threats. "There are always guards here, a whole Mewnian platoon is stationed here...where are they?" he questioned in a paranoid tone as he continued to scan the area.

"Maybe they were called back to Mewni to defend it?" Star suggested, trying to calm the boy's nerves. But it didn't work, Marco remained on guard and cautiously drew closer to the turret entrance. "Not a chance, they can only be re-called on my orders, Queen Moon didn't even know they were here, by rights they should still be here" he spoke nervously as he continued towards the door to the turret.

"Well...you did order them to the rich pigeon kingdom, maybe they're still there?" Star said, still desperately trying to calm her boyfriend as she watched the paranoia over the situation take hold. But Marco simply responded with the same calm, unnerving paranoia that had filled his other statements. "I had them there for one day, then they were ordered back here, besides, I doubt they stayed in a burned kingdom"

With that, Star had had enough, she slapped Marco sharply on the cheek, which snapped him out of his paranoid trance as he came back into reality and looked at Star, an expression of hurt and surprise on his face.

"Sorry Marco" Star expressed apologetically, plunging herself into the knight's arms as she hugged him tightly in sadness. "I just...can't stand it when you get like that" she said, clearly upset as Marco returned the hug. "It's okay Star, I'm sorry for getting like that...just...there's definately something wrong here" he said as he loosened his grip on the Princess. Star looked up to him with her ocean-blue eyes and nodded as the two prepared to burst through the door of the turret.

The group burst through the oak doors of the turret, Marco and Star leading, the scene that greeted them only served to heighten Marco's growing feelings that something was extremely wrong.

They entered the turret to find the place barely lit, shrouded in blackness save for a couple of torches whose embers still announced their presence against the surrounding blackness. The pool of magma that used to inhabit the central area of the turret was now gone, claimed by the darkness much like the rest of the tower so the group could not tell what had happened to it. Marco held up his hand and faced his palm upwards and spoke gently into his palm "Hikari".

As Marco spoke, a small ball of light appeared in his palm. The light grew at Marco's command and illuminated the space around them, revealing just what had become of Hekapoo's home. Needless to say the scene didn't fill Marco with confidence. It was a scene of chaos, as if a great struggle had happened here. Marco needed a better look, so he turned to Tom and Tamia. "Could you two light the torches in here? I need a better view of the space" he asked. The couple behind him nodded and the two simultaneously fired small beams of flame into the torches around the turret, illuminating the place. To ensure the place was lit well, as well as tease Tom a tad, Tamia fired a small beam into the centre of the turret.

The magma pool that had previously been darkened and blanketed by the cool stone that now lay on top of the former magma, now lit up as the pool once again glowed with life and fire. Tamia admired her handiwork and looked back to Tom with a confident grin. Tom pouted jokingly, "Now you're just showing off" he said in mocking hurt, drawing a giggle from the Princess.

Marco was speechless at the sight of the illuminated turret, it had simply confirmed his fears. The walls, ceilings and floor were scarred and battered by the damage that only a hard fought battle could bring. Scorch marks and great slashes into the stone were everywhere, as well as in places whole walls had been blasted out, revealing the separate rooms away from the main space. But what shocked Marco and the rest of the group the most, was the bodies of Mewnian knights and Helios soldiers alike strewn across the floor with terrible injuries and wounds across them all. But not a peep from any of the fallen souls that littered this, now forgotten and lonely, space.

The group carefully made their way through the turret, attempting to not disturb the sleep of the dead that now occupied it. Marco found the lack of Hekapoo, alive or not, disturbing. She's been attacked here in the past but nothing ever caused her to abandon this place. The pool of Magma in the centre was the only place across the dimensions that her scissors could be manufactured after all.

The group jumped suddenly at the sound of a groan in the corner of the open room. Turning towards the source of the noise, they were greeted by the sight of a barely alive Helios soldier. The man was bleeding heavily from a wound just below his ribs, his uniform dyed a deep crimson by his blood. But he still clung desperately to life through the pain and looked up towards the group.

"Oh...just great" he spoke sarcastically through the grimace of pain as well as the spluttering of blood from his lips as he coughed constantly through his attempts to speak. "Just..fucking great, first that bitch kills my platoon and now I'm found by the enemy...just my luck.." he speaks to himself as he looks up towards the group, who by now had surrounded the soldier.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and kill me you Mewnian scum" he seethes at the group. But the group mostly ignore his words and begin speaking to each other. "We need to get him to talk" Marco said "It may give us a clue as to where Hekapoo went, and more to the point any plans Helvete might have". Tom looked sceptically at Marco "You think he's just gonna talk?" he questioned, but before Marco could answer, Star spoke in a dark tone that Marco had never heard out of her before.

"We make him talk..." She spoke darkly. Marco looked back towards the princess with a shocked expression on his face. Was she really implying what he thought she was? No, no that wasn't Star, that wasn't how she does things. "Errm Star?" he said cautiously, but her expression was blank, a burning stare down to the dying soldier below them, it was a stare of pure hatred. It frightened Marco and Tom equally as they looked at each other with mirroring expressions of concern for the girl.

"Star, you can't be talking about what I think..." Marco began to say before he as cut off by Star snapping at him "So what if I am!?". This statement stopped the knight dead, it was so unnatural of Star to even consider this sort of option, he could feel himself becoming saddened and angry at this change in this girl who he adored so much.

"Star, that's not you...that's not us...That's how Helvete does things" Marco said sternly. "Yeah Marco..." Star said as she looked down with an expression of fixed anger and a tear flowing down her cheek "...and it's clearly helping him alot, he won't show my mum or Eclipsa any mercy..why should I do the same for his soldiers?" she spoke in anger, her tone growing harsher as she directed the wand at the soldier. But Marco stood between the two immediately.

"Move Marco, He's going to tell me where my mother is, whether he wants to or not" Star spoke in anger, but Marco wouldn't flinch to her words. "No Star, I'm not going to watch you do this!" Marco yelled, just as Star was about to fire back with her own argument, Marco placed a finger to her lips. "I won't watch the girl I love do something that she'll never come back from, we need to beat him, but we can't become like him in pursuit of that...please Star..." Marco pleaded as he stroked the girl's cheek lightly, wiping away the tears that flowed from her eyes as he did so.

Star fell to her knees, Marco kneeling down to catch her and hold her close to him, her sobbing the only sound coming from the pair. "I'm...I'm sorry Marco" she stuttered through the sobs. Marco simply stroked her golden hair gently and soothingly as he began to shush the girl. "It's okay Star...It's okay" he said gently.

The Helios soldier breathed a sigh of relief but then began to laugh through his pain "So, you really are just as weak as the emperor says...I hope he makes it painful for you" he says darkly through the struggle of his pain. Tom goes to hit the soldier but Tamia stops him. She doesn't say a word as she kneels down to look the dying man in the eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" She asks calmly. The soldier looked at the girl confused, he'd never seen her in all his life how did she expect him to know her. Just as he was about to tell her this, the man paused, gazing at a necklace that hung down at Tamia's chest. The pendant was...familiar.

"It's...That's impossible" the man stuttered as he looked back into Tamia's scarlet eyes as they dazzled and shone with brilliance. "You...can't be? P...Princess Tamia?" he said in a shocked tone. Tamia simply nodded, a small smile of kindness on her face. The soldier could scarcely comprehend that it could be true. It would mean that, everything they ever fought for...vengence and to honour the memory of the fallen princess, it was a lie?

"But..the Princess fell, she was killed in Eclipsa's attack, the...the Emperor was left with nothing" the man continued to stutter as he attempted to make sense of it all. But Tamia spoke calmly down to the man. "My father seeks only his own empire, he must be stopped, please..tell me everything you know, we can help you".

The man hesitated before sighing and pulling himself up as best he could, grimacing as he did so. "My apologies your imperial highness, but I cannot disclose what I don't know...but I will tell you the mission we came here with" he said, drawing a kind nod from Tamia as she listened.

The soldier reached into his jacket pocket, handing the Princess a small book, marked with bloodstains. "My unit's orders were to come and capture Hekapoo before she could assist the Mewnian forces in exile, we hadn't expected to run into a division of knights but they weren't strong enough to beat us" The soldier hesitated and gulped with fear as he struggled to continue his speech for the next part.

"But her...she..she was like a one-woman army, She tore through us with ease!" The soldier looked around the scene of carnage before him and despaired as he saw the faces of many of the men, his brothers, who he had served with "The first thing I saw was my commander's arms fly off as her blades sliced through them, after that I was on the floor, struggling to breathe...I don't know where she's gone but thank the heavens she's not here"

Tamia soothed the soldier, "It's okay, she's not here, she can't harm you anymore...thank you" She said as the soldier's eyes began to close slowly. "I'm..glad I got to see you before this moment Princess, it's clear why the empire calls you what they do" he chuckles, as he breathes his last and slips into eternal slumber.

Tamia stands, looking towards Marco "Well, she's definitely not here, what now?" She asks with a sadness to her eyes over the death she'd just witnessed. Tom, seeing this, took hold of her hand gently, drawing a small smile from Tamia as she kissed his cheek as a small thank you, causing Tom to blush heavily.

Marco, still holding Star close, thought for a moment before coming to a realisation. "There's one place she may be...it's a long shot but it's all I got" He said as he gestured for Tom to hand him the scissors, which the king did without hesitation. Marco looked down to the blonde haired girl in his arms and gently whispered "You okay to go Star?". Star looked up and sniffed, drying her eyes and nodding to Marco. "yeah, I..I'm sorry I got like that Marco...thank you for stopping me...I'm..sorry" she said in a small tone.

Marco placed a hand under the girl's chin and brought her gently into a small kiss. "It's okay, I'm just glad you're back to my Star again" he said with a smile as the girl smiled at his sweet comment. The couple stood and Marco cut a portal into the air. "Where are we going Marco?" asked Tom sceptically. Marco continued towards the portal and said simply "The Dragon's Spit".

 **Dragon Spit Bar-Unknown Dimension**

Star and Marco were the first ones to emerge from the portal, swiftly followed by Tamia and Tom. All aside from Marco gazed on the building before them with questioning expressions, Star especially given the atmosphere of the place. Even the outside alone gave it the impression of being a run-down, rough bar with several of the windows missing and smashed.

Star looked up with a questioning expression at Marco. "Marco, what is this place?" she questioned as she looked at the dilapidated building. As she watched, the body of a man came flying through the window and crashed to the ground as the noise from within the building went back to a mix of merriment and yelling.

The man who'd flown through the window got back up and began walking off with a drunken shout of "Yeah? Well we'll see who's the big guy the next time you need a shield, you monster loving fuck!" before disappearing off into the night. This scene only made Star bring her hands to her hips as she crossly looked at Marco for an explanation.

Marco nervously scratched the back of his head, "Okay so I can explain this..." he stuttered as he looked the girl in the eye, only to be met with a raised eyebrow from Star. "Go on..." she said sceptically as she tapped her foot expectantly.

"Well, me and Hekapoo used to visit this place to celebrate back when we were closing those portals you kept opening yknow?" Marco said nervously as Star nodded. "Yes I remember, keep going.." she said, still impatiently. "Well, I'll be honest, it used to be a lot nicer.." Marco said nervously as he looked on the, now dilapidated and ruined building. "They did pretty good shakes and stuff, it was always kinda rough but I guess it's gotten worse over the years" He said.

Star was still sceptical but sighed and asked calmly "Okay, so what's the plan then? Why would she be here?". Marco looked towards the door and began walking in, turning his head to Star as the group followed him "I can't guarantee she's here, but it's the only place I can think of" he said as they walked in.

As the group came through the door, the noise of merriment and drunken conversations suddenly came to a dull murmur as the faces around the bar turned to the group. Mixed expressions of distrust and paranoid anger greeted each of the group members as they looked around. Marco spoke under his breath, loud enough for the group behind him to hear. "Don't make eye contact, we'll be fine, just keep your calm and stick with me" he said with a hushed, urgent tone. The group obeyed and kept their gazes fixed on the bar.

As the group made it to the bar the landlord, A tall, stocky man with a thick bearded and scars dotting his entire body from the countless battles he'd seen in these walls, approached and asked in a gruff tone "What'll it be?". Marco took on a serious tone and ordered a Dwarves ale. Star quietly requested a small glass of port, Tom got a single glass of straight whiskey and Tamia got a white wine, though the landlord wouldn't tell her what kind it was.

Star whispered to Marco while the landlord deposited their payment into his register "Why'd we order drinks here anyway? We're here to get information not have a pleasant drink" she said with concern. Marco whispered back "These types of people don't tend to take kindly to folks who come in and don't buy anything, just go along with it for now okay?" he pleaded with the girl, who begrudgingly accepted this argument and sipped her drink quietly.

"I need help finding someone" Marco began as the landlord handed the knight back his change. "Who's the guy?" the landlord asked, once more in the gruff and uninterested tone he had taken their order. Marco calmly sipped his drink and attempted to look natural as he spoke, despite the constant feeling of eyes in the back of his head. "She's not a guy, we're looking for Hekapoo" he said. At this the dull murmur that was present before suddenly stopped, the bar was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Immediately Tom, Tamia and Star went on their guard, nervous as to what could happen now and what these people would do. The landlord leaned closer to Marco and gestured for Marco to follow suit, which the knight did. "Thought I recognised you, but let me clue you in there Sir Knight, she's in a bad state...not physically no, but her rage is boundless" the landlord looked genuinely frightened at this point and looked nervously towards a door to the rear of the bar.

"I'll take you to her, but..just know that the last guy that went in there...he didn't come out, I daren't check even now that the screaming has stopped" he said quietly with a shaky voice as he gestured for the group to follow him. Looking back towards the patrons, that look of distrust and paranoia had now transformed in all of their eyes. It was now a universal look of fear and dread. This didn't serve to calm Tom, Tamia's and especially Star's spirits.

The landlord led the group down to a closed door at the end of a small hallway to the rear of the bar. Silently he pointed to the door and then made his way back to his bar as quick as he could. The group simultaneously gulped as they looked at each other nervously. "Well...here goes nothing" said Marco quietly before he knocked on the door loudly.

"Get lost!" came the angry voice of Hekapoo from behind the door, a portal opened next to the group and a fist came flying out of it, hitting Marco square in the face. "That was your only warning, now whoever you are, Piss off!". Marco adjusted his nose as Star quickly rushed to his side to check on him.

"I'm fine Star, she doesn't hit as hard as she thinks" Marco chuckled before knocking on the door once again. "Hekapoo it's Marco and Star, cmon just open the door" Marco pleaded with the scissor maker through the door. A sarcastic laugh came from behind the door "Nice try scum, but Star and Marco will be long dead by now...all because I couldn't see that bastard coming." This last part sounded sad as the sound of sniffling was heard from behind the door. This was interrupted quickly by a rapid turn to shouting once again. "Now get lost! Final chance!"

Marco thought for a moment, then a sudden idea came to his mind, He grinned at the thought and chuckled to himself, much to the confusion of Star, Tom and Tamia. He walked close to the door and cleared his throat. Saying quite clearly in his rugged adult Marco voice "Please H-Poo" before standing back from the door.

Star, recognising the voice, felt her heart's immediately glow bright as the image of Marco's adult form filled her mind. Noticing this Marco chuckled to himself and looked back towards the door, expecting any kind of response. To his pleasant surprise, the door cracked open to reveal an upset looking, but heavily blushing Hekapoo. "Marco? Star? You're...alive!" she said as she happily ran up to the couple to seal them in a cripplingly tight hug.

 **A/N: Hekapoo has been found and both sides now prepare for the final confrontation, which side will attain victory in this war that has torn all of Mewni apart? Until Next time guys :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22-The Lines are Drawn**

 **Dragon's Spit Bar-Unknown Dimension**

"I can't believe it, I thought...I thought..." Hekapoo, in her joy of seeing Star and Marco safe, simply couldn't finish the sentence before breaking down into fits of tears of both joy and sorrow. The couple comforted the sobbing commission member, holding her tight while Marco gave her a handkerchief he carried with him for these occasions.

Hekapoo sniffed into the handkerchief and wiped the tears from her eyes before handing the rag back to the knight "T..Thank you Marco" she said as her eyes cleared from tears. Marco simply smiled and nodded, placing the rag back into his pocket, although not without noting to wash it later.

"How did you two even survive? I arrived at the battlefield late and...well...it was already done..I had to run before I could be captured by the enemy...I...I thought you'd..." She began to weep again before quickly shaking her head and pushing the emotions from her mind. They were safe, that was all that mattered to Hekapoo for now. But...there was still one thing.

"And why is he here?" she said in an accusing tone, directing a finger at Tom and an expression of anger plastered itself across her face. Tamia drew closer to Tom, not liking the threatening way Hekapoo was looking at him.

Marco stepped forward and attempted to explain to Hekapoo before she did something crazy. "The Lucitor Kingdom is liberated, Tom helped us throughout the battle, his parents were the ones who joined Helvete, Tom is now King Lucitor" Marco said, gesturing to the young king. "That still sounds weird to say" he muttered, drawing a small giggle from Star and Tamia and a chuckle from Tom himself. "It's still weird to hear Marco, don't ever let me hear you calling me 'your majesty'" he laughed.

Hekapoo looked on the laughing group and couldn't help but summon a chuckle herself. "Thought it'd be a long time before I saw you as a king, Lucitor" she said jokingly. This drew a small smile from Tom and all seemed calm once more.

Hekapoo then turned to Tamia, "So what's your..." Her sentence stopped dead. Marco looked concerned at the Commission member, but her eyes were locked onto Tamia as Hekapoo noticed two things about this strange, until now unmentioned girl. Firstly, she was strangely attached to Tom, during that whole exchange she had been getting gradually closer to the boy.

Okay so Tom's gotten a girlfriend, that's fair but it's what Hekapoo noticed next that tipped her over the edge. She rushed forwards, gripping Tamia by the collar and slamming the girl against the door. Marco, Star and Tom rapidly tried to react but stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed Hekapoo had put a blade to Tamia's throat.

Tom, in seething anger towards Hekapoo's actions, directed a hand at Hekapoo's head and summoned a ball of flames to it. "Put her down Hekapoo" he warned, as he pressed the hand closer "Hurt her and there's nothing that could stop me from killing you". Hekapoo is unphased by this threat however and keeps her eyes focused on Tamia's, who after recovering from the shock of the assault, looked down to meet Hekapoo's gaze.

"You're going to answer a question for me, if I don't like the answer...well" she says as she presses the blade to Tamia's neck "You're not gonna like what happens next.." Hekapoo threatens with a cold and serious tone. Tamia seems unphased by Hekapoo's threatening tone, almost as if she expected it. "Ask away..." She says plainly.

Hekapoo brings the blade down from Tamia's neck and taps the pendant hanging at the girl's chest. A small, circular pendant which shows a crossed spear and royal sceptre underneath a golden crown. The background of the pendant is unmistakably the flag of Helios. Hekapoo brings the blade back up to Tamia's neck, making sure not to impede the girl's ability to speak as much as she can before asking "That's a very rare necklace, where did you get it?".

Star and Marco are confused by the line of questioning, not understanding why a necklace required such a harsh and violent reaction from Hekapoo. Tom was far too focused on keeping Tamia alive to care about Hekapoo's line of questioning. Tamia calmly sighs and looks up to meet the Commission member's gaze.

"My name is Tamia, I'm Helvete's daughter" Hekapoo's eyes went wide at this but she gestured for the girl to keep talking. "Helvete thinks I am dead, I've been helping Star, Marco and Tom to stop him and free their homes". Hekapoo let her blade subside for a moment and dropped the girl back down to the floor. However she didn't allow her to move away from the door, not without one final enquiry.

"So, what did Helvete do following Eclipsa's attack? Why couldn't I find Helios when I re-opened the portal?" she asked with a hint of desperation in her voice. Tamia sighed and calmly spoke as she tried to remember to the best of her abilities all that she could of what she had heard.

"All I really know is what I have heard through rumour and passing tales from those who visited the farmland I grew up on after the attack" she began, a small tear forming in her eye as the next memory came flooding in. "My uncle, Prince Listus under my grandfather was made the next heir of Helios despite him being the youngest sibling, being only 6 at the time" she paused, unable to properly think of a way to say the next part of the story, but noting how impatient Hekapoo was getting she quickly mustered her thoughts together.

"Helvete, on losing his own family and having not much left to lose decided to take his birthright by force and...well...killed my grandfather and uncle in the process, you never saw Helios, you saw the village I grew up in...that's what Eclipsa and Globgor destroyed" Tamia's tears flowed down her cheeks at the memory of her young uncle and her grandfather. She'd never known them well but she did remember them, and it hurt that her father had been so cold in reclaiming what was taken from him. It was the first heinous action that she'd heard him take and it would certainly be far from the last.

Hekapoo is shocked by this revelation, she had no idea he was this monstrous. Okay she knew about the invasion of Mewni but...to kill a child over a throne. She slumped down into a chair and the group surrounding her dropped their guard as they realised she was letting Tamia loose. Tom ran up and clutched his girlfriend in a tight hug, the girl giggling as she returned his affection.

"God I always fall for bastards don't I?" Hekapoo mutters as her mind turns to the night she first met Helvete. How different he had been then, or at least to her, the two had talked and drank for hours. Helvete had been the perfect gentlemen and was the model of what Hekapoo considered a prince to be. But then Eclipsa had taken him away from her not romantically, although it had later been revealed to her after 300 years that those intentions were never genuine, but through his utter destruction on the battlefield. After that, Hekapoo had seen to it personally that Eclipsa's half-monster daughter would never take the throne.

Star, seeing how low Hekapoo was, sat next to the woman and comforted her. Hekapoo leant into Star's shoulder as the princess comforted the commission member as best she could. "You're still hurt by what happened when you met him aren't you?" Star asked quietly so as the others Wouldn't hear. This drew a small, and very sad nod from Hekapoo.

"I'm not used to attention like that Star" she says quietly, a solemn and hurt voice escaping her lips. "3000 years I've lived since my creation and, well im not used to the idea that someone actually had feelings for me..I..I thought he was different is all.." She says with a sniff as tears flow down her cheek, dropping onto Star's shoulder as the princess drew Hekapoo into a hug.

Tamia listens to Hekapoo and can't help but feel sad for yet another person that her father is responsible for hurting in such a horrible way. She was sure it wouldn't help much, but maybe...if she knew how much of a monster he had always been, it might soften the blow.

"He was never good you know..." Tamia said, slightly timidly as she approached Hekapoo, newly cautious after their previous exchange. Hekapoo looked up to the girl and asked "What do you mean?" an inquisitive tone to her voice as she spoke.

"My mother, when she discovered that I possessed the same powers as him...she..she was so afraid I'd be like him that she struck me across the face and ordered me never to use my powers again...as it turns out these would be her last words to me" Tamia spoke sadly as she remembered her mother's face. Tom cradled her into a hug as a tear travelled down her cheek and dropping down to the floor without the girl's realization.

Hekapoo thought for a moment about Tamia's words, her experiences of Helvete were so far distant from her own in terms of context. But they had a connection, a kinship if you will; both had been hurt by him. Either directly, as in Hekapoo's case, or indirectly with Tamia's case through her mother's own fear of the man. Hekapoo couldn't help but chuckle lightly as she came to realise this.

It was an anger filled chuckle, an expression which juxtaposed what it looked like outwardly from the rest of the group's perspective as they looked towards her quizzically. "Well" she continued her chuckle as she spoke "I guess that's two more lives he'll pay for wrecking...so What's the plan then?" she said as she turned to Marco with a grin on her face, for the first time since they got there, she was finally Hekapoo again.

Marco grinned in turn and nervously scratched the back of his head before he began in a nervous tone "Well...you're not gonna like it.."

 **Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni(Formally)**

Helvete and Kahchi strolled through the newly constructed Helios line, a defensive network that had been devised by the Helios generals staff at the discretion of the Emperor himself as they planned to bleed the enemy dry at the steps of their former home. Helvete looked on at each layer of the defences, Kahchi each time explaining the principles behind the defensive plans. Helvete couldn't help but be pleased at this new creation, this was truly unique in the history of the empire and would likely never be repeated in the historical records ever again after his victory, which he was sure was secure.

Kahchi walked with his emperor and couldn't help but feel a measure of pride himself. It certainly wasn't how he desired to wage this war, not even close in fact, but he could already see his name immortalised in the Helios Empire as the great general who had finally finished the empire's hated enemies and brought a new level of glory and military understanding to the empire that would never be matched. So lost in his fantasies was he that he almost disregarded Helvete demanding to have the defensive plan summarised for him as they reached the front lines themselves.

Kahchi brought himself back to reality and refocused himself before responding. "Certainly your Imperial Majesty, It would be my honour to summarise for you" he spoke with pride before laying a map of the defensive works onto a wooden desk that was used as a sighting station. The soldier manning it, politely dismissed himself while he waited for the two to finish their use of his post.

Kahchi began with a measured tone of pride as he bragged of the defences they'd crafted at their emperor's request. "Your Imperial Majesty, the defences have been constructed to the following specifications; 3 Defensive trenches have been constructed as the main layers, The rear line is 2 miles in front of the city limits, the second line is another mile forward of that and the front line is a further 3 miles in front of the second line." Kahchi begins as he points out each position on the map, the trenches denoted by solid black lines across the map which zig-zagged as they formed across the map itself.

At regular interval across these lines were points marked by crosses, Kahchi directed Helvete's attention to these points and explained. "Across the lines, strongpoints have been constructed at regular intervals, these strongpoints are positioned alongside the other defences in a way designed to funnel the enemy forces into a killing zone, the strongpoints on the front line however are weaker than those on the 2nd and 3rd defensive lines, simply meant to delay the enemy rather than defeat them" Kahchi explains as he draws his hand between the first and second lines, showing an arrow marked 'drawback line' on the map in this area.

"Once the front lines have held off the enemy for as long as possible, the order will be given for them to fall back across the three miles to the second defensive lines, during which an artillery barrage will strike the front line trenches, rendering them useless and dealing massive enemy casualties in the process of covering our forces retreat"

At this point Helvete began to smile, clearly in approval of this detail. "Excellent general, a good strategy so far, please continue" he notes as Kahchi obeys and, with a new beaming pride continues his explanation.

"The second and third lines are the truly defensive lines, these are not to fall to the enemy and are once again designed to funnel their forces into a killing zone, however this time our forces will be outfitted with much more fire-support platforms to aid in the defence of these lines" Kahchi pointed to 3 spots inside the city walls and a fourth behind the third trench line. These spots were simple circles with a letter 'A' inside them. Each had a number underneath them along with a name given to that particular spot.

"4 Airship stations have been hastily constructed for rapid air support operations on the front lines, all told we have managed to scramble together 7 airships between the 4 bases that have been built, unfortunately we would've had more but the Butterfly family forces managed to destroy several during our last attack" Kahchi grimaced at this point as he remembered that battle, and the knight he had sworn vengeance against. But he brought himself back into reality. Soon, he thought, soon I'll hang that knight's body from a tree.

"Yes, quite unfortunate but 7 craft should be more than enough to hold the lines, I mean realistically they've got a rag-tag force as it is anyway, the Lucitor army and what? Any mercenaries they can pay off?" Helvete chuckled as he further studied the map. "It's only the 4 who took the Lucitor kingdom who we have to be concerned with" he continued before suddenly thinking to himself and then turning to Kahchi with a puzzled look.

"Speaking of which, did we ever discover the identity of the fourth in their party of rebels general?" Helvete questioned towards the man. Kahchi, despite having his informants scour the length of the empire and beyond hadn't been able to find the group at all, and as such was unsure of any information regarding this mysterious fourth character short of that she was a girl.

"Well, a hunch points towards Hekapoo your Imperial Majesty, our scouting parties sent to retrieve her have not returned, presumed dead, there's a good chance the enemy have located her and she assisted them in capturing the Lucitor kingdom" Kahchi responded, although he was making guesses at this point, there was no way to know for sure if Hekapoo was assisting the group or simply in hiding without sending more forces to scour her dimension, and right now he couldn't afford the manpower for all the defence of the empire was costing him. The lines were stretched thin as it was by now, trying to maintain order in the occupied territories as well as keep a garrison in Helios itself.

"Hmm, I don't know" Helvete thought as he directed his gaze back down towards the map "but I suppose it will have to be an interesting surprise later on, besides if it turns out you're right then Hekapoo isn't nearly strong enough to threaten me" he chuckles darkly to himself as he points to a symbol on the map denoted as a square with a smaller oval inside of it.

"What are these supposed to be general?" the emperor asked with a puzzled look on his face. The general looked down at the map and smiled as he took into view what the emperor was directing him towards. "Ah yes, those are the war rig divisions your imperial majesty, they stand as fast-attack ambush squadrons between the 2nd and 3rd lines in order to stop an enemy advance should they push past the 2nd defensive line" Kahchi explained with a smug smile on his face at the genius of this plan, despite this section not being his own plan but General Urtias'.

That fact didn't sit well with Kahchi considering the disrespect and insulting nature of their previous quarrel during their previous meeting, since then tensions between the two had been high. Even the enlisted men spread rumours that soon there may be a split in the army if these two continued such a hostile relationship with one another.

The emperor stood for a moment taking in the total plan before nodding and turning to the general. "Well I must say General, you certainly have earned back a lot of my respect with this one" he spoke as he turned to head back towards Butterfly castle, which was naturally now draped with Helios flags. The general followed along, a smug smile plastered across his face, however that smile was quickly wiped away when Helvete turned to him and spoke darkly.

"But should it fail, you'd better hope you die to the enemy before I find you, understood?" the threat escaped Helvete's lips as his eyes glowed with the crimson red tint that was feared now across the vast lands of the empire. Especially among those that had been conquered and had his power demonstrated on them firsthand. Kahchi gulped and a look of horror and fear gripped him "Y..Yes sir, I won't fail you" he spoke nervously as he brought his hand up to salute the emperor.

Helvete's eyes lost their glow and a smile drew across his lips as he turned away. "Good good, I thought you might've said that, now i've got...buisness to handle so you're dismissed general" he said with a suspiciously cheerful tone as he strolled away.

Kahchi was interrupted from his own thoughts about the sudden cheeriness of Helvete by a cocky, mocking voice behind him. "I..I'll not fail you your majesty..please love me..I wanna be best general" the mocking came from behind him. Enraged by this mocking of him, Kahchi turned on his heel and directed his furious gaze behind him.

"You know, I always figured you for the grovelling type but I didn't get to truly see it until I became a general myself" General Uritas said as Kahchi came face to face with him. "Between that and the clear anger issues, I've got a regular 24 hour comedy show here" he mocked as the stared each other out.

To Uritas's surprise, Kahchi smiled when the two locked eyes. Strolling casually towards him with this strange look of genuine happiness to see him across his face. Uritas did not like this, he wanted Kahchi angry not...smiling.

Calmly, Kahchi addressed the general with a smile and a pleasant tone to his voice. "Ah, Uritas I'm glad we ran into each other, you see, I had a question and I figure that you're the only one in this empire who could help me out". Uritas, now thoroughly confused, simply responded with a quick "what is it?" although it was clear from his tone that he didn't trust Kahchi in the slightest.

Kahchi stepped closer "Excellent, so it's like this really, we're about to embark on the greatest battle in this empire's history, a final death struggle that will see either the grand rise of our empire into immortality, or it's decline into the footnotes of history, soon forgotten and buried under the victors boot heels, would you agree with this observation?" Kahchi asked in a tone which rubbed Uritas up the wrong way, a smile still across his lips.

Uritas simply nodded as a response. To which Kahchi continued his speech with a grin and a slight chuckle to his voice "Good, good, now then if you were in my position, agreeing with my view as you do now, would you not ensure that nothing would jeopardise this operation that could bring you everlasting glory and merit?" he once again questioned the general. Uritas could still do nothing but respond with a nervous nod.

Kahchi places a gentle hand on the general's shoulder, as if offering a token of friendship among comrades "Good, I look forward to our upcoming victory" he says with a smile. But as Uritas goes to remove Kahchi's hand, Kahchi rapidly draws his sword with his free hand and skewers Uritas through the stomach with it.

Uritas immediately coughs a splatter of blood as the blade runs him through and looks up horrified into Kahchi's eyes. His eyes had now turned sinister, a sadistic smile across his lips as he twisted the sword in his hands, causing fresh pain in the general's stomach.

He then leant close, within Whispering distance of Uritas' ear and spoke calmly with a confident and sinister tone "Which disrespectful parasites like you will never see". He drew his sword from the man's stomach and then in a lightning quick slash, slit the general's neck. Uritas' body fell to the floor, limp and lifeless as blood leaked from the gaping tears in his stomach and neck. His eyes glazed over as the life inside him was drained and he took his final exultation.

Kahchi stood over the body, admiring his handiwork, before ordering some nearby men to collect and dispose of the body, which the men obeyed. Leaving Kahchi alone to his own thoughts once more.

"Marco Diaz" he spoke to himself as he used a red cloth to clean the blood from his blade "You'll be the next to meet this grim fate"

 **Dragonspit Bar-Unknown Dimension**

"You released who!?" Hekapoo shouted in shock as Marco told her what they wanted her to do. Although maybe it wasn't the best time to slip that they had freed Globgor.

Star and Marco both attempted to explain that Globgor wasn't so bad, but it was difficult to say the least. Hekapoo was still having trouble processing that they'd even freed him in the first place. "Wait, so did Rhombulus agree to this!?" she yelled as the puzzled look on her face continued to grow, despite alternating with panic during this line of questioning.

Marco scratched the back of his neck before answering cautiously "Well...he agreed to it begrudgingly I suppose" he claimed, this wasn't untrue mind but probably wasn't what Hekapoo wanted to hear. Marco's hunch was right it seems as Hekapoo yelled out "Dammit Rhombulus, this is why the time out corner is always yours!". It was quite clear Hekapoo was not best pleased with this news. Convincing her would take just the right words and reasoning.

In this sense, it was fortunate that Globgor and a monster army was basically their only hope for liberating Mewni and freeing Eclipsa and Queen Moon. It made it so that Hekapoo wasn't really in a position to refuse, unless she had some sort of better plan.

Hekapoo sighs exasperatedly, "Is it really the only way? Is the Lucitor kingdom not enough?" She says with an exhausted tone, as if she already knew what answer to expect from the group. Marco turns to Tom, "How many troops can the Lucitor kingdom muster?".

Tom considers for a moment and after a few moments of silent calculations he responds "Around 6000 troops, and that's if I don't leave much of a garrison to protect the kingdom and keep order". He then adds with a solemn tone "We also located some documents that seem to indicate the Helios army size, they're from before the invasion of the Ponyhead Kingdom, so they might now have a smaller force, but..." The king pauses, unsure of how to put this next part.

The king's thoughts are shattered when he feels a soft hand intertwine with his own, looking down at his hand and then looking back up to see Tamia's shimmering scarlet eyes meeting his own. She smiled lightly and squeezed his hand softly, beckoning him to finish his sentence. He smiled back and turned back to Marco, his smile fading as he finished his explanation.

"..But they number approximately 30,000 men under arms, and as you know the technology gap between our forces is astronomical" He says solemnly. This fact shook Marco and he staggered back, now realising just how hard this was going to be. They'd be outnumbered by a large margin if even a third of that force is protecting Mewni.

Hekapoo sighed, "Alright, if that's what we're up against...I suppose we need all the help we can get" she says begrudgingly. "Now, this plan to free Queen Moon and Eclipsa, we need to know where they are being held first, so does anyone have any clue where they are?" she questioned to the group. Marco and Tom both shrugged, not having a clue about where Helvete would have them. Tamia looked down and whispered a quick "I don't know really, even if they're being held in Helios I didn't go there enough as a girl to know about any of it".

Star looked towards her wand, an idea springing to mind. She held aloft the wand, much to the wonderment of those around her, and began the spell. "I summon the all seeing eye, to tear a hole into the sky, reveal to me that which is hidden, unveil to me what is forbidden".

An image of an eye suddenly appeared in her wand, and a projection shot out of it, revealing the image of a chained Queen Moon, and a little across from her, a sobbing Eclipsa.

 **Butterfly Kingdom Dungeons-Mewni(Formally)**

Eclipsa sat in a dark and dingy cell, drips of water from the ceiling the only noise aside from her own sobbing. Queen Moon hadn't woken up since being unceremoniously dumped down here shortly after being defeated by Helvete. The only thing that kept Eclipsa hopeful was the rising and falling of the Queen's chest, at least showing that she was still breathing. Though in the grand scheme of things it was a small comfort.

The cell door creaked open, an unusual noise these days, usually food was thrown in with little care or grace through a hatch. Eclipsa looked up in fear and anger at the shadowy figure that now strolled into the dark cell, closing the door behind it. "That's close enough" she warns, drawing a chuckle from the figure.

"My dear, what exactly are you planning to threaten me with?" came the all too familiar, mocking voice. A small flame appeared at the fingertip of the figure and he shot it to a firepit in the corner of the cell, illuminating the space and finally revealing the face of the visitor.

"It's been too long since my last visit has it not Eclipsa?" Helvete spoke mockingly towards the woman. Eclipsa spat on the ground before the emperor and fired back in a seething tone "If you had left me to rot in here for 1000 years it'd still be too soon to see you again". This simply drew a laugh from Helvete as he took in the insult.

"Still a sore loser it seems? Well I suppose that cannot be helped" he said, taking a seat in a small wooden chair by the entrance to the cell, still looking into Eclipsa's hate filled eyes. Eclipsa met his gaze, defiant of this monster that had imprisoned and tortured her and annihilated everything she loved "You're just an appalling winner, luckily for me I'll get to watch you squirm when you finally get what's coming to you" she spoke, hate filling her voice.

Helvete raised an eyebrow at this comment, "Oh? Is that so? Then pray tell what happens if you're wrong? What happens when i finally snuff out that last candle of resistance the Butterfly Kingdom has?" he questioned in a sarcastic and knowing tone, as if already well assured of his inevitable victory.

Eclipsa wanted this man gone from her sight as fast as possible, having a discussion and argument with him certainly wasn't the way to do that. She settled to simply ask in an uninterested tone "So what are you here for anyway, I doubt I have any information for you, not that I'd give it".

Helvete once again chuckled and stood to walk closer to Eclipsa "What? A host can't come and check in on his beloved guests every now and again? He spoke with a sly grin and a mocking voice as he approached the woman. Eclipsa responded by coiling back and spitting into the emperor's face in defiance.

The emperor's expression remained calm, although it was clear he hadn't appreciated the gesture. It certainly wasn't unexpected however and he proceeded to wipe his face clean with a handkerchief before expressing calmly and in a calculated manner.

"Still so defiant" he began in a near mutter, before looking down on the woman and raising his voice to a normal speaking tone, his voice now serious and unmocking as he addressed her. "It's funny in a strange way Eclipsa, No matter how much I despise you, how much every ounce of my being urges me to rip that defiant tongue from your mouth..." The last words of this he spoke as he gripped Eclipsa's jaw, threatening her with exactly the fate he had described.

He released her jaw however and stepped back, his eyes still locked onto hers "Despite that I can't help but feel a strange feeling of respect for how much you continue to resist and defy me, how much faith you put in that pathetic gaggle of teenagers that you 'so dearly love'" These last words he made mocking finger gestures as he did a pretty bad impression of Eclipsa's voice.

"It's admirable in it's own way, almost like how a child believes in heroic knights, great heroes and other things that are not based in reality wouldn't you say?" He says with a sly smile as he believes this speech will fully confuse and break the woman even further. However her look of fury and hatred never left her, instead she raised herself to as high as she could to look the emperor dead in the eye and spoke challengingly "I'm going to enjoy watching every second as they destroy you".

Helvete was slightly taken back by this comment, he couldn't seem to break her spirit, just what was he missing? Why was she placing so much hope in a group of teenagers that she had clearly seen were no match for his power? How could this woman still defy him in such a way? He goes to speak, but is cut off by Eclipsa.

Eclipsa now spoke in her own mocking tone, a sly smile of her own coming to her lips as she remembered something that would hurt Helvete, if only a little. "I heard your guards talking, seems they freed the Lucitor Kingdom from your grip? Now you're going to defend your spoils instead of going after them? Seems to me that's a tactic used by someone who fears what that group is going to do to them, and they will Helvete...they will break you and shatter your dreams of empire".

Helvete stepped back, his expression seething with rage towards the woman. Every ounce of his body yearned to put an end to her wretched life for those words. But then, he got a much better idea. He turned to the, still unconscious and barely breathing, body of Queen Moon and places a hand over the Queen's heart.

"No! Don't you dare touch her! She's suffered enough!" Eclipsa shouted in a panic, realising she'd forgotten she wasn't the only one at risk anymore. Helvete looked up at Eclipsa, still not moving his hand from atop the queen's heart and spoke in a sinister tone.

"Let's see if she agrees shall we?" as the emperor's eyes glowed silver this time and a bright arc of electricity funnelled through his hand and down into the unconscious queen. This immediately jolted Moon awake as she screamed with the pain of thousands of volts coursing through her body.

Helvete laughs at this and grips the queen by the neck, lifting her up to meet his gaze. "Wakey wakey Moon" he mockingly sings as she struggles in vain against his grip "Wake up and smell the ashes". Moon continues to struggle in vain as she is hit by a million different pains at once, none being as bad as the pain from the bloodied spots on her back where her wings had once been.

Helvete, after a few moments of chuckling and mocking the woman's struggle to escape, soon threw her to the floor with little care for how she landed. "Oh dear my little Butterfly, seems someone's clipped your wings" he mocks as Moon struggles to drag herself away, grimacing through the pain across her whole body.

Eclipsa has begun shouting at towards the emperor now, struggling against her chains to get as close to Moon as she could to try to protect the queen. "Enough, hasn't she suffered enough!? don't punish her because you hate me you bastard!" she yells, this however only serves to anger Helvete even further and he draws his hand back before slapping Eclipsa across the face with enough force to send her sprawling to the floor.

"I'll decide when she's suffered enough, not you, is that clear!?" Helvete yells back in anger towards the struggling Eclipsa, who turns to look at the emperor clutching her cheek, that same look of defiance still in her eyes. "Go to hell" she fires back.

Helvete's eyes narrow and he grabs Moon by the arm, dragging her back over to him before generating a small ball of flames in his palm. He grins darkly as his eyes glow red with that crimson shine that was now feared across Mewni. Before Eclipsa could do anything to stop him, He pressed the ball of flames to Moon's exposed back, drawing a bloodcurdling scream from the queen as her flesh was scolded and burned from the heat of the fire. Once again she passed out from the pain and Helvete dumped her unconscious form onto the ground before a tearful Eclipsa.

The emperor turned on his heel and opened the door before looking back and saying in anger "I'll ensure that those 'oh so precious' teenagers you adore so much suffer tenfold what you have...maybe then you'll learn respect" he spoke darkly before slamming the door, leaving Eclipsa once again alone in the darkness, now weeping over the unconscious Moon.

 **Dragonspit Bar-Unknown Dimension**

The group were all equally horrified by what they had just witnessed, however Star was the worst of them all. Having seen her mother suffer and scream like that...her tears were unstoppable. It was all Marco could do to hold and comfort her as best he could, but even he didn't know what he could possibly say that could help.

After a few moments, Star's voice cut through her tears, an anger to it like nothing any of them had ever seen from her. "I'll kill him" she spoke, as she separated from Marco's shoulder and looked towards the rest of the group. "They'll be no peace as long as that monster is alive, he has to die, and noone does it but me" she spoke darkly.

The group had no argument for this, in a way, they all agreed with this sentiment. It was just a shock to hear Star say it. Marco broke the uneasy silence by turning to Hekapoo and stating plainly "We have to get them out of there, now". Hekapoo nodded and cut open a bright orange, fiery portal using her own dimensional scissors. "Okay, let's do this".

 **A/N: Helvete's defences are ready and the group now have Hekapoo on side, what will they do next to ensure victory against the tyrant emperor? Until next time guys :)**

 **2nd A/N: Real sorry about the delay to this chapter guys, Laptop finally decided to die forever on me so i've had to buy a new one (however this does mean my previous progress on this story was wiped out :'( ) Still, I'm back up and running now so this should be the last real delay for a while :) Thanks again for the continued support :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23-Operation Celestial**

 **Mewnian Dungeon Entrance-Butterfly Kingdom**

Hekapoo emerged first from the fiery orange portal, the sight of a darkened stone hallway greeted her eyes. On either side of the corridor, which seemed to travel deep into the black abyss of the darkness, were a series of heavily reinforced steel doors with small slots that opened up just wide enough for a small bowl to fit through. Yep, this place was certainly a jail if Hekapoo had ever seen one.

The group of teenagers quickly followed behind her, each of them looking on into the same black void that had greeted Hekapoo. Star studied this area with increasing anxiety, desperate as she was to find and rescue her mother from this dreadful place. Marco saw this in her eyes and was quick to act, knowing they had to do this quickly. "Alright, since we don't know which cell they're in specifically, we'll have to search them all till we find them, sound good?" he asked aloud to the group.

The group nodded in turn, all with expressions of grim determination on their faces. This was an extreme risk, there was no avoiding that realisation, Helvete himself could be right around the corner for all they knew. If they fell here, now, that would be the end of it. Helvete would forever hold Mewni in his grip, this couldn't be allowed, but it was a risk worth taking to rescue Moon and Eclipsa from this accursed place.

"Right then, Let's get going shall we? Keep a look out for any others we can bring on side too, we need all the help we can get" Marco informed them, before moving off to check the first door. The others covered different areas of this maze of doors, Tom and Tamia covered the left side and down the corridor to the left, Star and Marco began checking all doors on the right side and right corridor. Hekapoo checked the central corridor.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Right Corridor**

After a few minutes of searching, only met with empty and abandoned cells, Star suddenly gasped when she opened the next cell. Marco immediately ran over to check what Star had found, asking in a semi-whisper "Did you find them?". Star didn't respond, she continued to stare into the cell, a half-smile creeping to her lips. "Ponyhead?" she questioned in a hopeful tone.

The figure inside the cell looked towards the door and a voice boomed out of the small opening "Star! Girl, you don't know how happy I am to see you!" the voice paused and then a in a smaller, more reserved tone said "And yes..it's nice to see you too Earth-Turd". Marco chuckled at the compliment, even with everything they've gone through, Ponyhead doesn't change much.

"Hold on pony, I'll get you out of there" Star said as she fired a bolt of magic through the lock of the door, breaking it and allowing her access to Ponyhead's cell. It was as dingy and unkept as the rest of them had been. Dark and with the constant dripping of water onto the stones below that were beginning to grow moss from the constant exposure to damp.

Ponyhead continued to struggle in vain against her constraints, a shackle around her neck and a cone shaped lock that sealed her horn from the outside world. It was clear it was designed to stop her using magic to escape her imprisonment. Marco drew a small dagger and carefully, trying to avoid hurting Ponyhead, began to crack the lock to her restraints. After a few moments the lock, considerably rusted from the constant moisture acting on it within the cell, gave way releasing Ponyhead. The pony immediately rushed towards Star's arms greeting her with a hug, or at least the closest Ponyhead could give considering she didn't have arms.

"Oh girl, thank you thank you thank you, you have no idea how bad it's been here girl" Ponyhead began to rattle off a tad too loud and overexcitedly considering they were trying not to be caught in here. Marco, who wasn't expecting a thank you anyway, got up and began to walk out of the cell saying simply "I'm gonna keep looking for Moon and Eclipsa, don't take too long okay".

Star nodded happily and quickly kissed the knight on the cheek, drawing a mocking barfing noise from Ponyhead, before turning back towards her floating friend and they began talking about everything that's happened.

Marco continued his walk down the dark and depressing corridor, checking doors as he went past. "Well, I suppose that's one ally, I hope there's more down here" he spoke to himself as he continued his journey into the abyss of this prison.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Left Corridor**

In the other corridor, Tom and Tamia had found essentially nothing in this place. Besides their occasional conversation and the constant dripping of the water from the soaked rocks that formed the ceiling, there was little else in this place aside from the disturbing, gaunt quiet.

"Jeez, there are dungeons in the underworld more pleasant than this place" Tom muttered to himself as he checked yet another cell through the hatch. Nothing. Tom sighed, this was going to be a long search, and if that wasn't bad enough they couldn't forget just where they were, and how dangerous the people in the fallen city above were.

"Hey..Tom?" Tamia said to the boy in a nervous tone, Tom turned to face the girl. Tamia was pressed up against the wall besides a door with the food slot open. Tom stepped closer to the door cautiously, however jumped back when he saw two luminous, green eyes appeared above the slit.

The eyes appeared angry, as if scowling at the sight before them. Tom glanced towards Tamia who met his gaze and asked quietly "So you see them too?". Tom simply nodded and then turned back towards the eyes, whose gaze had not averted from the young king. "Errm, Hello?" Asked Tom nervously, unsure of really what to say to a mysterious pair of eyes.

"Lucitor..." the reply came from the gap. It did not however sound best pleased to see the king, much the contrary, it sounded like if that door was open whoever was inside would set upon Tom in an instant. "Do I know you?" Tom asked back, attempting to sound unwary of this mysterious being.

"Not personally no...although you did betray the kingdom I fight for" came the voice, a resentment and anger was too it, but also a strange calm and calculated tone that threw Tom off and made him more cautious around this person. They definitely weren't blindly angry, no this anger had a direction and purpose and if he wasn't mistaken this anger was aimed at himself.

"You fight for Mewni then? So, you're a knight? Squire?" Tom continued to question, still staring at the unmoving, unfaulting pair of emerald green eyes that pierced through the darkness to meet his. "Knight, my squire was thrown in here with me after we refused to bow to Helvete's whim, apparently we're due to be executed soon". Tom stood back a tad, whoever this was is awfully casual about their impending execution, just who was this guy?

"What if I told you there was another chance to liberate Mewni?" Tom enquired to the stranger. For a moment the eyes closed and disappeared, the blackness of the cell was all that remained. Tom at first thought they really weren't interested, but as he was about to turn and continue his search, the eyes appeared again.

"Why would you want to help Mewni? The bed you make with Helvete not as comfortable as you thought?" The voice came in a judgemental tone from the hatch. Tom sighed and spoke plainly as he realised he would have to explain. "My parents betrayed Mewni, now dead by my own, and Star and Marco's hand, I have taken over as King of the Underworld, and our next plan is to liberate Mewni".

The eyes once did not falter or change as Tom explained this. They then looked to the side of the cell. "And who is the red-haired girl trying to hide from me?" the stranger asked. This prompted Tamia to come out from her spot against the wall and stand beside Tom. She spoke clearly for the stranger to hear "My name is Tamia, I helped free the Lucitor kingdom and I'm trying to help defeat Helvete, please, if you are a knight then help us beat him" she pleaded with the stranger.

The eyes at the door looked between the two of them for a few moments, as if sizing them up, but then began to speak again. "So you say you're with Princess Star and Sir Marco Diaz, Correct?" the stranger asked. Receiving a nod from Tom and Tamia.

"Well, since my loyalty rests with the Princess and Marco is a...friend of mine, I suppose I'll have to trust you for now" The voice came from the doorway, before the eyes disappeared and a voice was heard from inside the cell. "Hey kid, get up, we're getting out of here okay?". Tom and Tamia waited a moment before the eyes appeared at the slot again, looking a tad annoyed.

"Feel free to open the door at any time" the sarcastic reply came from the stranger. Quickly Tom realised his mistake and shot the lock with a bolt of fire, melting through it and forcing the door open.

Out stepped a short, orange haired girl with freckles dotting her face. She wasn't in typical knight armour or even chain mail for that matter. A simple navy blue tunic with a purple belt around her waist accompanied by grey pants and purple boots that came up to her knees. Her hands were wrapped with bandages and all told she was quite pretty, if not a tad rough around the edges.

Next to the girl was a young boy, no older than 14. He too wore a simple, moss green tunic along with a pair of black pants and brown boots that came up to his knees. He wore a pair of black leather gloves and his hair was tied back into a single ponytail which came down to his shoulders. He was much more nervous and cautious looking than his knight however and kept to her side, although Tom noted he was stood further back than she was.

The girl spoke after once again sizing up Tom and Tamia with a sceptical look permanently fixed on her face. "My name is Higgs, this is my Squire Potemkin and I'm guessing you weren't here to find us?" she deduced as her emerald green eyes continued to dart between the two suspiciously.

"No, we're here with Star, Marco and Hekapoo looking for Queen Moon and Eclipsa, we need to rescue them" Tom answered honestly. Higgs thought for a moment and then turned to Potemkin "You still got that notebook kid?" she asked, her eyes turning kind as she spoke to the young squire. Tom noted it was the first time the girl had smiled since they got here.

Potemkin nodded and quickly produced a small, black notebook from within his tunic. The boy flipped through the pages before settling on one and handing it to the knight. "Thank you Po" Higgs smiled as she took the book. The squire smiled immediately at the nickname, trusting eyes focused on the knight. Higgs refocused on the book and traced the page with her finger before finally tapping on one line and looking back up to Tom and Tamia, her smile fading from her face as she did.

"We've been keeping tabs on everyone who's come by here, taking special note of locations should we find a way to escape" Higgs explains as she begins walking futher down the hallway, Potemkin following closely behind. Tom and Tamia followed in tow, curious as to how this girl had managed to keep tabs on everyone so efficiently.

"If our information is accurate, Queen Moon and Eclipsa are in the same cell, and it's somewhere down here" she says before turning back to Potemkin. "You sure C89-R is correct Po?" she asks kindly to the young squire, who was keeping a close step behind the girl. The squire did some quick calculations in his head and responded earnestly "It's a rough estimate, we couldn't see clearly that far down the corridor due to lack of light, but judging on sound ranging it shouldn't be too far off that mark".

Tom and Tamia were dumbfounded at this response, a fourteen year old talking about sound ranging and sounding so sure of himself that he was correct? This kid was impressive to say the least, and it called into question just how good the girl was. Higgs caught this look however and chuckled to herself. "Yknow, Marco may be the head of the knights, but I certainly hope you didn't think he was the best" she said, a slight gloat in her voice before turning her head back towards the couple.

"Him and I both know I'm much better at the actual knight duties than him, he just happens to be better at strategy" she said with a cocky smile and a glint in her eye. Tom wasn't exactly sure how to respond, giving a simple nod in agreement. Higgs chuckled and continued her walk down the hallway.

"Hey, shouldn't we be checking the other cells for allies?" Tamia suddenly chimed in as they passed more and more cells with neither the knight or her squire so much as glancing at them. Higgs didn't turn back this time, simply responding in a bored sounding voice "Noone in these ones to be honest, there's a pretty dangerous monster in that one if you feel like getting mauled" she said pointing to the cell on her left.

No sooner had she spoken those words, a snarl was heard from inside the cage and a beast lunged at the door. Scratching and clawing at the metal to attempt to breakthrough, Tom and Tamia stayed on their guard in case the creature managed but Higgs simply held out a hand towards the King. "Do you mind if I borrow your dagger really quick?" she asked, not much kindness in her face or politeness in tone.

Tom nonetheless drew a short dagger and handed it to the knight, who simply walked over to the door, opened the food slot a crack and plunged the dagger into the gap. The snarling behind the door was replaced with a wince and cry of pain as the dagger had hit home, the creature pulled back from the door and continued it's wincing as the group moved on. Higgs passed the dagger back to Tom with not so much as a thank you, before pressing onwards to the deeper parts of the dungeon.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Right Corridor**

Leaving the joyful pair of reunited friends to catch up and celebrate together, Marco carried on his search deeper into the jail. The sea of abandoned cells before him was soon starting to take it's toll on the knight. Noone, there was simply noone down here, how was that possible? Were the prisoners of war kept somewhere else? Were they all dead? No, surely not...noone could be that indecently cruel.

This train of thought however only brought thoughts to Marco's mind of all the evil that Helvete and his empire had done to them and their friends. Destroying the Rich Pigeon Kingdom, Seizing the Ponyhead Kingdom killing King Ponyhead in the process, capturing and torturing Eclipsa, beating Marco to a pulp, occupying the Butterfly Kingdom and tearing Queen Moon's wings from her back in the most sickening display of cruelty Marco had ever been forced to bear witness to.

This made the fact all the more clear to Marco as he strolled down these depressing, abandoned corridors. First, Helvete wouldn't hesitate to have all the prisoners of war killed, that was simply who he was and the Second, that what Star had said in rage and grief was correct. Peace couldn't be possible while that monster lived, one way or another, one of these nations would be annihilated by this final conflict.

As Marco pondered these thoughts, he began to hear a noise at the far end of the corridor. Footsteps, and an odd scraping sound of metal on stone. Marco drew his sword and stared down the blackened, ominous corridor into the direction of the noise. He knew it was too good to be true that they'd be alone down here, but whoever this was couldn't be allowed to return to the surface to sound the alarm.

The footsteps drew evermore closer, each step gradually growing louder and louder. That scraping noise, dragging along with it. It was a consistent tone that slowly grew as the footsteps did, a weapon perhaps? But that would mean whoever it was was certainly expecting a fight. Did they know he awaited them? Could they see him already? Marco grew nervous at this unknown opponent who was fast approaching down the halls.

The knight glanced around, these halls didn't leave him much room to manoeuvre in a fight, whoever came out of those shadows. This would be a simple, by the numbers fight. There was nothing fancy that Marco could perform in this tight a space, his training was more suited to large spaces and open arenas. Marco made a note of this should he get out of here, more fodder for his own training.

His opponent's face soon appeared out of the darkness, the whites of their eyes showing through first. The scraping sound being produced by a pair of swords which dragged along the ground next to them. Marco gasped as he realised just who he'd be fighting.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Left Corridor**

Higgs suddenly stopped dead before a cell on her right, the cell was indistinguishable from any of the others around it, or any of the others that they had seen since soming here as a matter of fact. This was aside from one, key thing. The faint sound of muffled sobbing that came from behind the door, it was barely audible but it was most certainly there.

Tom and Tamia drew closer to the cell and turned to Higgs who was stood cautiously in front of the cell. The knight took a glance to the number on the wall at the side of the cell. "C92-R, hmmm not bad Po, only 3 off and on the correct side, you're getting good at this" Higgs complimented her squire, the young lad next to her beaming with pride as the compliment sailed into his ears.

Higgs opened the food slot and peered through, the cell was extremely dark, she could see very little inside aside from the glinting of chains. The sobbing came through continuously, the occupant of the cell clearly not noticing Higg's presence. The knight stood up from the slot and looked towards Tom and half whispered "Okay, I'm gonna guess something bad's just happened, so..when we crack open this cell might wanna speak gently, can you do that?" she asked, a tad sceptical of the gentleness of a Lucitor.

Tom nervously scratched his head "errm, I guess I can do gentle...sorta" he said, not entirely convinced himself that he could. Tamia took the boy's hand and whispered into his ear "You'll be fine, its not that difficult" she teases. Higgs rolls her eyes and speak in a voice that conveyed annoyance with the display of the couple's affection "Okay you two, can we save the lovey stuff until after we've finished here?". This snapped Tom and Tamia out of it and the pair nodded.

"Good, okay Lucitor, could you kindly crack open this one as well then?" the knight spoke, gesturing to the locked cell door. Tom nodded and aimed a finger towards the lock, a small red beam of fire shot through the lock, melting through the metalwork and busting open the door. Higgs opened the door but was quickly met with a yell from the occupant.

"Get away! Leave us be, haven't you had enough!?" came the panicked and scared voice from within. The group walked into the cell, Tom leading with a small flame in his palm to illuminate the space. Immediately he was greeted with a sharp pain in his cheek as someone in the darkness landed a punch against the King. He was sent sprawling to the floor and Tamia quickly cried out for him "Tom!" she yelled as she lit up the space with her own abilities.

As the space lit up, the group was astonished by what they saw. Tom was in the corner, reeling from the blow that had struck him down. Eclipsa was chained tightly in the back of the room, fresh tears still running down her cheeks. But Queen Moon was standing over Tom, anger in her face and her fist still clenched from the punch that had knocked the young king flat.

That anger quickly rescinded when she saw who she had just struck however, and the queen quickly knelt down to assist the boy, wincing in pain with the movement. "Tom! Oh god I'm sorry, I just...I saw the flame and I thought Helvete had come back!" she apologetically rattled off to the boy as she helped him to his feet.

The king stood and rubbed his cheek where the sting from Moon's punch was still fresh before smiling and letting a small laugh escape his lips "No no, it's understandable, yknow for an injured woman you pack a serious punch, If you'd been full strength you might've knocked me out".

Moon apologised once again before turning towards Higgs and Potemkin, both of whom kneeled before her and bowed their heads. "My queen, I can only apologise for our failure to protect the kingdom, but we beg that you allow us to help you and the rest of the Butterfly family to retake what is yours" Higgs spoke formally to the queen, who placed a hand on the knight's shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong, you fought well, we just, didn't understand how strong our opponent was until now, but we'll take the kingdom back that is for certain" she responded, her voice kind and motherly to this young, orange haired knight. Higgs looked up with a smile, her emerald eyes glinting and nodded with vigour "Yes your majesty" she responded happily before her and Potemkin made their way to their feet.

"Hey errm, if you're all about done I'd really like to be out of these chains now, I'm getting a little tired of being imprisoned all the damn time yknow" Eclipsa said sarcastically before continuing a little more quietly to herself "And this time around i've been conscious for the whole time". Moon smiled and turned to Tom, "Would you please Tom? I would do it myself but...I'm Nowhere near strong enough to handle much more than standing yet" the queen politely asked.

Tom bowed lightly and then tried to use his powers to blast Eclipsa's chains but they had no effect, Tom stood a little dumbfounded for a moment before Eclipsa chimed in. "They're made using draining crystals, magic has no effect on them, you're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way dear".

Higgs rolled her eyes at the kings laughable efforts to free Eclipsa before taking his sword and slicing through the rusted links on the chain with little effort. "You gotta take out the weak links, surely you're smarter than this?" she said sarcastically before handing the king his sword as Potemkin helped Eclipsa to her feet.

"Ah, that's much better" Eclipsa said as a she ran her hands through her green locks, "Could do with a wash but being free is a start" she muttered. She held out her hand and a purple coil of magic flowed down out of it, forming into her twisted iron staff with it's signature spade shaped jewel in it's peak.

"Right then" Eclipsa began, "Where is my favourite royal couple?" she said, as she strolled out of the cell with the rest of the group in tow.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Right Corridor**

"Well, well, well" the voice came from the darkness as the stranger came closer to Marco's awaiting form. "That's precisely the last person I expected to see down here, although I must say I'm glad we get to meet again, Marco Diaz". Sinister tones of malicious intent were clear in this person's voice as they came into view. Marco gasped as he recognised his opponent's face.

"General Kahchi?" He enquired, readying his sword for a fight he knew was definitely coming, fresh memories of their last encounter flooding his mind as he realised that the general probably wasn't happy to see him.

"Ah good, at least you remember me, because I certainly remember you" the hate-fuelled voice of the general came as his two hooked swords came into clear view, glinting in what little light there was in this drab dungeon.

"Of course, how're your ribs doing?" Marco jokes as he smiles a cocky grin at the general, who's eyes narrow at the quip. Brandishing the hooked swords he slams one into the stone walls, causing the echo of it's impact to resonate across the dungeon. Pulling the sword back out of the stone he speaks deceptively calmly.

"Better, thank you for asking" he holds one of the hooked blades up, pointing it directly at Marco, who made ready for an impending attack. "All the better knowing that I now get the opportunity to put you through so much worse" Kahchi smiled a sadistic grin as he drew the other blade into a ready position to engage.

"We both know this is to the death now Marco, you can't let me go because you'll have half the Helios army down here faster than you can say 'Immediate death' and I can't let you go because if my emperor finds out he'll kill me outright, we're at an impasse it seems" Kahchi outlined to Marco as the knight nodded in acknowledgement of this fact.

"In that case what do you say we quit stalling?" Marco said stonefacedly, this was the time more than ever to be serious, He couldn't afford to underestimate Kahchi in a one-on-one fight. Kahchi smiled sadistically once more and spoke with a sickeningly happy voice "My thoughts exactly" before lunging at Marco with his swords.

The two swordsman clashed, their blades sparking as each blow was parried and blocked. Their skills not allowing the other to gain any ground or advantage in this engagement. Neither used magic, almost as if an unwritten rule was already established, these two were hated enemies yes, but both were soldiers and fought with honour. This was clearly the way this was meant to happen.

Star and Ponyhead, hearing the commotion, ran through the hallway to be greeted by the sight of battle, Star readied herself to save Marco but was stopped by his voice shouting back at them. "No Star, I can handle this, we need to find Moon and Eclipsa, you have to check the rest of this place, and get ready to leave".

"But Marco.." Star attempted to argue back but Marco cut him off as he continued to fend off Kahchi's constant attacks "I'll be fine Star, I've beaten this bastard before, just hurry okay?" he asked her as the pair's swords locked. Kahchi's hooked blades locking around Marco's broadsword, locking it in place as a battle of strength took place.

Star, took a deep breath and shouted "You come back to me Marco Diaz, that's an order understand!?" she pleaded with the boy. Marco smiled to himself and yelled back "Of course my princess" as Star turned to check the rest of the cell's with Ponyhead in tow.

"Sending your princess away to face me alone, how cowardly" Kahchi spoke with a grin. Marco looked at him confused as the swords broke free and they continued their exchange. "How is that cowardly? I could've just had her kill you?" he questions the general. Kahchi nods and their blades clash once more in a battle of strength, "True, but facing me alone? You should know that suicide is the coward's way out" He spoke as he broke the clash and swung once more at the knight.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Left Corridor**

The group was now running towards the source of the noise, the clashing of blades was resonating down the dungeon in all directions, it wouldn't be long till someone from up above would hear the commotion as well, they had to get to the others and get out of here as fast as possible.

Higgs stopped and held up a hand signalling the others to halt and be quiet as she listened to the corridor, through the clashing of the swords she heard it "Footsteps, they're coming this way" she warned. The rest of the group drew weapons in expectation of a fight, Tom passing a spare dagger to the knight in front. Higgs nodding in thanks as she too prepared to fight.

The tension was broken however when they heard the voice of Princess Ponyhead coming through the darkness "Girl, where are we going, do you even have a way out of here!?". The group lowered their weaponry as Star and Ponyhead came out of the shadows, running into them all. "Star!" Moon yelled as she ran up to her daughter, embracing her tightly as Star returned the affection. "Mum, I'm so glad you're okay...I saw what Helvete did and...and I was..." the princess cried before Moon shushed her and gently stroked her daughter's golden hair.

"It's okay Star, I'm safe but we've got to get out of here, where's Hekapoo and Marco?" she asked urgently. "Hekapoo is in the central corridor, she can't be far away, Marco is fighting Kahchi, he told me to get you guys out of here" Star responded quickly, a tad panicked by the situation.

Tom was quick to respond to this last point, "Right, you guys get to Hekapoo, I'll help Marco and make sure he comes back to us, sound good?" he said turning to the others. They all nodded in turn, except Tamia who grabbed the boy and planted a small kiss to his cheek "Come back safe okay?" she asked as the two separated. Tom grinned and nodded confidently before rushing down the blackened corridor towards the clashes of the blades.

"Okay the rest of you, let's go get Hekapoo" Star ordered as the group made their way into the central corridor in a rush. After a few minutes of running they ran headlong into the red-haired commission member, who was knocked to the floor by the rush of the mob. As she got to her feet the group rapidly apologised, Star leading as she assisted Hekapoo to her feet.

"What's all the commotion, what's happened?" Hekapoo asked with a slight daze. "Marco is fighting one of Helvete's generals, we have to get Moon and Eclipsa out of here quickly and then get everyone else back" Star quickly relayed to Hekapoo as she tried to urgently explain the situation.

Hekapoo nodded in understanding and asked simply "Okay, where are we going then?" as she pulled out her personal dimensional scissors. Star considered for a moment before concluding on the best option "Rhombulus's dimension, we go there first" she ordered Hekapoo. The commission member took a glance towards Eclipsa and sighed before saying "I hope you know what you're doing Star" as she opened the portal.

 **Mewnian Dungeons-Right Corridor**

Marco slashed is sword right and then lunged forward as he attempted to break Kahchi's stance, this proved difficult however as this general was a clear swordsmanship master. It would take alot more than simply parrys and wild swings to best him. Luckily for Marco he was certainly no stranger to swords and was holding his own well against the increasingly fustrated general.

"You're extremely lucky boy, most I face don't get to live this long" the angered voice of the general spat out during another clash of the blades. His eyes filled with hatred as he continued to carve the teen knight into pieces, unable to break through the boy's defence he grew impacient. Perhaps gentleman's rules were too inflexible for this sort of fight? He considered this to himself as Marco once more lunged forward with a fresh assault.

Marco's movement's were like lightning as he became rapidly aware of the need to wrap this up quickly. He struck with precision and speed unlike Kahchi had seen from many opponents, this threw the general off for a split second, and it was here that Marco saw his opportunity, thrusting his blade into Kahchi's ribs once more.

The blade hit home, puncturing Kahchi's body and causing the general to yell in pain. The wound however wasn't substantial enough to be more than just painful and the general began flailing his blade wildly in anger at the teen.

"You'll suffer for that one maggot, I'll rip your damn head off" Kahchi shouted as he summoned a small ball of flames to his hand and launched it at Marco. At point blank range the shot hit home, sending Marco sprawling to the ground, as Marco moved to get up he raised his sword, barely stopping the blow from both of Kahchi's blades being brought down on top of him.

The teen struggled to hold back the blades as he attempted to force upwards, but Kahchi continued to put all his weight and power into bringing his swords down onto the knight, grimacing with pain against the strain the battle was putting on his fresh wound. But determination to see this young knight dead overwhelmed the pain that he felt from his wound and his eyes locked onto Marco's with an expression of frenzied anger as the general began to lose himself in his anger.

"It ends here Marco Diaz!" the general shouted, the halls filling with his angered voice "I'll hang your body from the highest peak of this castle, as a message to all who dare defy me or my emperor!" The threat came down as Marco continued to struggle in vain against the force of Kahchi's strength. The general's blades grew ever closer to Marco's body and were now mere centimetres from Marco's chest.

The knight placed his other hand on the edge of his sword, cutting his hand deeply but fighting through the fresh pain to force the blade away from himself in a desperate attempt to free himself from this fate. Kahchi grinned sadistically at this. "Yes, resist boy, resist!" he cried out, half crazed from the battle as he forced ever more downwards. "I've been waiting for this for so long, make it worth every second, give it all you've got!".

As Marco cried out from the pain of his hand as Kahchi's blades forced downwards once again, overpowering Marco slowly but surely. A voice suddenly came from behind him "Get off him scum!" And a blast shot Kahchi down the hall into the blackness of the corridor. Marco sat up, his hand bleeding profusely from the deep laceration his sword had inflicted upon it. Glancing behind him, he saw Tom, the king's hand smoking from the blast he'd attacked Kahchi with.

"Yknow, you've really gotta stop trying the 'lone wolf' thing, it really doesn't work for you man" Tom joked as he helped Marco to his feet. Marco laughed and the two embraced as Marco thanked the king for his help. "It was going well until he decided to cheat" Marco joked back, causing Tom to roll his eyes. "Sure it was Marco, now cmon we gotta go".

"What about Moon and Eclipsa?" Marco asked, concerned for those they had came for, but Tom reassured the knight. "We've found them, they're being safely taken to the crystal dimension as we speak, Hell Moon even managed to sucker punch me when we tried to rescue her" the king joked as they began to walk away. "Now lets get out of here"

"Oh no you don't!" came the voice from the darkness as several blasts shot out from the corridor towards the pair. Marco quickly threw up a shield which deflected the blasts with ease. Tom stood ready, his hands cradling two balls of deep red flames.

Kahchi, now bleeding from a wound above his eye, emerged from the darkness still brandishing a single hooked blade. His eyes looked like he'd finally lost it, a crazed look of single minded violent intent everpresent on his face. "Only one of us gets out of here alive Diaz! That was what we agreed!" the angered voice of the general screamed at the pair.

Marco nodded and stood tall, facing his opponent with sword in hand. "Fine, then let's finish this" he spoke calmly as the two charged each other. The blades clashed violently as Kahchi lost himself in anger and began to swing wildly at the young knight. Marco dodged and blocked expertly, his mind refocused and serious from the death struggle he'd barely survived. Marco saw his opportunity and landed another stab into Kahchi's gut.

The general stepped back in pain, gripping his gut as blood flowed from the hole left by Marco's sword. Adrenaline took over however and the general fought through the pain to continue his attack on Marco. Swinging with ever more vigour and strength in his desperate attempt to slay this much hated enemy. Marco's calm and focused mind was winning out however and in a single slash, sliced off the arm in which Kahchi held his sword.

The man let loose a bloodcurdling scream as his arm, now free of his body, dropped to the floor with a thud as jets of blood shot out from his open wound. He used his free hand to grip his arm and attempt to stop the blood flow. Looking up to Marco with a hateful look on his face. He yelled "Urgh, Die!" as he faced his palm towards the knight.

But before he could let loose a sea of flames towards his hated opponent, Tom had telegraphed the attack and immediately shot a thin blast through the general's shoulder, disabling his remaining arm. The general once again cried out in pain as he buried his head in his lap, wincing from the pain that now radiated across his body.

"It's over Kahchi" Marco said calmly as he stood before the general. The general looked up in hatred and shouted up towards the victorious knight. "No Marco Diaz, It might be over for me, but I can promise you this, my emperor Helvete will slaughter you all like dogs, you can never win this fight you vermin!".

The violent threats fell on deaf ears as Marco drew back his sword in preparation for one final thrust. "Farewell Kahchi" he spoke calmly. Kahchi saw what was coming and with his last moments simply yelled one final curse "You'll all be slaughtered like rodents, We will be victorious, Praise Helios!" He cried as Marco plunged his sword into the general's heart. The general's mouth filling with blood as he choked up on the life giving fluid and finally collapsed to the floor.

Marco gasped for air, attempting to get his breath back after a hard fought battle. Tom patted the knight on the shoulder and began to lead him down the corridor. "Good work man, I'd say you've earned a bit of rest wouldn't you think?". Marco laughed, and joked back with Tom "Right, a short nap before the next fight I guess" as they made their way towards Hekapoo's portal, leaving Kahchi's body to soak the dull stones with his blood.

 **A/N: Moon and Eclipsa are once again freed from Helvete's grasp and what's more the once feared Head General of the Helios Imperal Army, General Kahchi lies dead in the silent dungeons of Mewni. All does not seem well in Helios, how will this affect their chances in the final conflict? Have the Mewnian forces turned the tide? Until next time guys :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24-Calm before the Storm**

 **Rhombulus's Home-Crystal Dimension**

Marco and Tom emerge from the portal into the crystal surrounded home of Rhombulus. They had been the last to arrive, their presence greeted with relief from Star and Tamia, who immediately ran up to their respective boyfriends. Star noticed Marco's wound within seconds of running up to hug the knight. "Marco what happened to your hand!?" she asked with great concern in her eyes. Marco attempted to calm her down "Star it's fine, I just got a cut during my fight with Kahchi, I've had worse" he said as he tried to play off like his hand wasn't in seething pain.

Star wasn't buying it. She placed her hands onto her hips in disapproval of Marco's words, "Marco Diaz you are not fine" Star scolded the knight before grabbing his un-injured hand and began to drag him off. "Now come on, we need to get that treated". Marco couldn't do much to protest as the Princess dragged him into a separate room.

Tom chuckled at the couple's exchange, before turning back to the others gathered in the crystalline room. "Well, we should start preparing for the invasion" he said in a serious tone as the weight of their next task fell upon him. Drawing his own dimensional scissors he turned back towards the group "I'll head back to the Underworld and ready the army to meet you all at the rendezvous point, if my memory serves we agreed on the former Rich Pigeon Kingdom as a staging ground for the assault?" he questions towards the group before swiftly realising that Tamia was the only one who would've known that.

Tamia giggles at the king's error and nods before stepping next to him, "I'm going with you anyway" she says sweetly as Tom smiles at the scarlet-eyed beauty. He nods and cuts open a portal to the underworld. "We'll meet up at dawn, after that.." The king hesitates, unsure of how to put it. "Well, after that...we Fight for Mini" he says bluntly before the couple walk through the portal.

Eclipsa watched the couple leave and sighed as she looked about this place. Still hard to believe she'd spent 300 years in solitude within this maze of crystalline prisons. Forgotten to her Kingdom, her family even to time itself. This place only brought back the memories of everything she had lost when she had been inprisoned all those centuries ago, and now when she awoke it seemed like so little had changed. They still fought the same enemy, monsters were still seen as evil and backwards by Mewmans, and Helios was still bent on destruction and conquest.

Eclipsa was only stirred from her thoughts when she heard Moon gasp in pain. Quickly looking to the queen, she noticed that Moon was attempting to get into a chair, wincing visibly with every movement as the strain on her still injured back was hard to bear. Eclipsa rushed over and began to assist the queen.

"Eclipsa I'm fine, I don't need..." the pain stopped Moon before she could finish her sentence. Eclipsa looked into her eyes with a serious expression on her face, "There's no need to lie Moon, you've had your wings ripped off and have been tortured by that evil bastard Helvete, you're definitely not okay" She scolded the queen while assisting her into the chair.

Moon sat back with a sigh of relief as the strain was removed from her body by the cushions. Her back had been in crippling pain ever since she had woken up in that dark and water sodden cell, at least the second time she had woken up, she could hardly notice the first time for the pain of the electricity that Helvete had used to force her into the conscious world.

Now all Moon could feel were the bloodied spots where her wings had once resided, a Butterfly no more it seems. She was little use in the fight for Mewni now, barely able to stand much less fight an army. All she could do now was help in any way she could, Moon the undaunted was not about to become a helpless, weak queen who merely sat in a chair all day like so many other royal families she had seen during her time. It wasn't her, it was not part of her nature to be of little use to anyone.

As thoughts of that possibility came to mind, she couldn't help but feel tears come to her eyes. The possibility of becoming of little use other than barking orders from a throne she'd lost to an invader. She couldn't face that future, it wasn't the existence Moon wanted, not even in the slightest. She had planned to give up the throne to Star in her old age because she simply didn't want to become an inactive, elderly queen, at least retirement would be a better prospect to being sat on a throne all day every day watching castle life as her own drained away slowly.

Eclipsa quickly noticed Moon's tears streaming down her cheeks. She pulled out a small handkerchief and began wiping the tears from the queen's face. Moon looked up towards Eclipsa, the former queen's kind eyes looking into hers as she smiled in an attempt to cheer Moon up.

"Now now dear, this isn't the time for tears" Eclipsa soothed the queen as she continued to dry up the tears that fell from Moon's eyes, "You should be proud, the kids have done so much since this all started, and they top it off by rescuing us" Eclipsa encourages Moon, before smiling once again. "Not to mention from the looks of it, Star and Marco will make a pretty excellent King and Queen once we've retaken Mewni, you've done well".

Moon looks up to Eclipsa once more and smiles through her tears, she sniffs and wipes her eyes dry before speaking. "Yes, I suppose they will" she says happily, but all too soon she looks back down and an expression of dejection appears across her face "I just...don't want to become a useless queen without my wings..I..I don't know how I'm supposed to help anyone anymore" she says sorrowfully.

Eclipsa was saddened by Moon's sudden melancholy turn, although she could perfectly understand why she'd feel this way, allowing Moon to feel like that simply wasn't an option in times like this. So in her own nonchalant fashion, Eclipsa attempted her best effort to make Moon feel better and see that what she was saying simply wasn't true.

"Well, I've never had any wings or a pretty butterfly form and despite being accused of a lot of things, noone's ever called me useless" she says with a pleasent smile as she meet's Moon's gaze. "Trust me dear, not a soul in Mewni is going to think you're anything less than the unshakable 'Moon the Undaunted'" She says as she jokingly takes up the pose from Moon's tapestry before smiling once again. "So don't worry about it okay?" she finishes sweetly as a small smile comes to Moon's face.

"Dammit crystal man, you free all monster brother, no leaving this one out!" came a shout from across the maze of crystalline structures that made up this dimension, immediately drawing Eclipsa's attention as she recognised the voice immediately.

"Okay, first of all I've told you a dozen times that my name is Rhombulus and secondly I agreed to free basically all of them which I have, but this one is definitely never to be freed, he'll attack me on sight if I do that!" came the panicked voice of Rhombulus as he argued with the monster while standing before a large crystal containing yet another monster, coincidentally the final monster they had come to after a long day of arguments and reluctant release of the monster army that had previously been imprisoned here.

Globgor sighed, today had been far too long even for him, Rhombulus was beginning to get on his nerves with the constant arguments and muttering. They'd been at this for hours despite the fact that the crystal being could free his monsters in a matter of seconds. "Crystal man say that about the last 50 monster brothers, Globgor keep telling crystal man, as long as Globgor here, crystal man is safe!" The monster yelled, growing in size slightly to add some intimidation to his words as annoyance with Rhombulus's attitude and constant moaning set in.

Eclipsa stood with a shocked look plastered on her face, she couldn't see her monster love, but his voice and those iconic little horns atop his head were more than enough to confirm it. He was here, He was actually here and free. Eclipsa's mind went blank as she couldn't fathom what to do, the spades on her cheeks glowing brightly as she listened to the fustrated argument between the two polarised personalities beyond the crystals.

Queen Moon giggled at Eclipsa's face, drawing Eclipsa from her trance and for the first time ever, Moon saw what Eclipsa looked like when she was embarrassed as the woman now tried desperately to hide her face and keep her emotions in check. Moon giggled again as she watched Eclipsa struggle in vain to hide her embarrassment before placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "I understand" she said kindly before nodding her head towards the source of the voices "Go on, I'll be okay here now, go see him" she said, giving Eclipsa a pleasant smile. Eclipsa smiled back excitedly and immediately hugged Moon, surprising the queen. "Thank you" Eclipsa whispered before rushing off to see her love.

"Look, we've already freed around 4,678 monsters, is one more gonna make all that much of a difference?" Rhombulus asked, still desperate not to unleash this last beast from it's prison. Globgor sighed exhaustedly and furrowed his brow in annoyance of the crystal guardian. "You want Globgor to get Star? Cause Globgor go get Star" he said, now slightly worn down by Rhombulus's constant whining about the situation. Although it had to be said he was also worn down by not being aloud to punch the guardian straight through his precious crystals, a promise that was becoming increasingly difficult to keep.

Rhombulus gulped at the threat. He certainly feared Globgor and the other monsters, but not nearly as much as he feared Star's wrath against him. With a fustrated moan he turned back towards the crystal and observed the monster that lay dormant inside.

The monster was a 6ft behemoth of a creature. It's form similar to that of a scorpion with it's large tail with a deadly looking red tipped spike at the end. The only notable difference was that unlike a scorpion, it was clear he was meant for walking upright like a man. His upper set of arms ended in two large pincers which were big enough to crush a man's skull and his lower set while having mostly normal looking hands, aside from the talons at the fingertips, looked strong enough to do serious damage if one was to be caught by them. The creature's legs were thin and long but he was definitely not a stranger to rapid movement, Rhombulus knew that all to well from his last encounter with the monster. It's eyes were probably the thing that creeped out Rhombulus the most. 4 deep silver pools which resembled the eyes of a cat with red, thin pupils at their centre, it always seemed like they followed Rhombulus whenever he went anywhere near this crystal. Even now he could feel the creature's stare bearing down upon him, only exasperating his desperation not to release him.

Rhombulus looked down at the two snakes that formed his hands, both of which had worried and fearful looks on their faces. They shook their heads, in a gesture near pleading Rhombulus not to unleash this one, Globgor kept the other monsters in check just fine but surely not this one? Rhombulus turned back to Globgor, and began practically pleading with the beast "Don't make me do it, you can win without this one just please don't make me free him" The crystal guardian begged of the monster leader.

Globgor was unswayed by this sudden turn to desperation however and simply shook his head in dismissal of the argument. Pointing up to the sinister looking creature and said simply and coldly "Brother Sylus is best monster general, cannot win without good general helping Globgor, Globgor no good with tactics, good with fight, not with plan". Rhombulus looked down, disheartened at Globgor's words. He turned back towards the crystal and sighed "Just...keep him under control" he said begrudgingly.

Eclipsa walked at a steady pace towards the arguing pair, giggling lightly at each argument Rhombulus and especially at how fustrated and annoyed Globgor was getting with him. "Always so cute when he's annoyed" she muttered to herself through a giggle. The army of monsters that was gathered watching the argument suddenly began to notice Eclipsa walking through them. Their own noises of conversation and planning had ceased and now they all stood wide-eyed at this woman who each of them recognised immediately.

After getting over the initial shock of seeing her, each and every monster in the crowd bowed as best they could, some not being able to bow in the same sense a human would, but it was close enough and the gesture was there. After a few moments, every monster was fully bowed before Eclipsa as she strolled past them, hardly noticing the gesture. The only noise now present was the constant argument of Rhombulus and Globgor concerning this final monster.

It wasn't long however before the pair noticed how silent it had become. They turned to see the monster army bowed before them. Neither could understand why they had suddenly done this. Globgor rarely required his monsters to bow, and usually it would be under his order, not randomly like this. "What you all..." He began to ask but was quickly stopped midsentence by the sight before him as he fully turned round to see his full army.

Standing before the monster was a beautiful green haired woman with black spades on her cheeks. Clad in a long black dress that had admittedly seen better days due to her time being imprisoned by Helvete, the top half held on by a makeshift knot she'd managed to tie in it after it was torn from her during her punishment. But she still stood before him as beautiful as the beast remembered.

"E..Eclipsa?" the monster questioned, struggling to speak or coprehend the sight before him. Rhombulus also stood with a shocked expression on his crystalline face, having not seen Eclipsa since her release several years ago and, if he was being honest with himself, he'd tried hard not to think about that day.

Eclipsa looked up to the monster's eyes with small tears glistening in her own as she smiled a sweet smile that could melt any beast's heart. "Hello my love" she said through her tears of happiness. Globgor immediately forgot about his earlier fustrations, his eyes turning from that of an annoyed monster's to eyes more akin to a puppy whose master had come home, excited and joy-filled.

The monster immediately ran up and picked up Eclipsa, gently as he could manage but nonetheless with a tremendous amount of joy and relief. Twirling the woman through the air as she giggled sweetly at the monsters affections, the childlike innocence she'd fallen for all those centuries ago had not diminished even the slightest and she was relieved that he hadn't changed across his years of solitude and imprisonment.

When the monster had finished with his twirl, Eclipsa placed a small kiss on top of his head just between his eyes. If Globgor's skin wasn't already red you'd see his blush a mile off. Eclipsa was once more contented after her horrific ordeal. The two lost in their own world as Rhombulus snuck off, notably without freeing the final monster.

 **Guest Room-Crystal Dimension**

The room was cosy and pleasant, it almost reminded Marco of his old room back on earth which he had long since outgrown and swapped out for a larger, more stately room in Butterfly castle. Although he did still keep the place looking very earth-like compared to everywhere else in the castle.

The room, being only used for the guests which weren't common in the crystal dimension, was very bare bones. Consisting only of a standard double bed with a small bedside cabinet and a small wardrobe in the corner. Very basic but neither of the couple had expected anything particularly special. The room was mostly silent aside from the occasional winces of pain from Marco as Star attempted to treat the wound in his hand.

As Star cleans Marco's hand with a clean, damp cloth that had been soaked for a few minutes in warm water, he winces and jumps slightly from the pain of the cloth touching his wound. Needless to say Star was growing slightly impatient with having to stop every couple of seconds. "Why is it that every time I have to do this you're such a baby about it Marco Diaz?" she says with lecturing tone to her voice.

Marco winced in pain again as she continued to clean his hand before she could begin treating the wound itself. He manages a slight chuckle at Star's comment and replies "I'm not ungrateful Star, but it doesn't make it hurt any less you know" before he pulls back once again in pain.

Star rolls her eyes and takes Marco's hand again, starting once more to attempt to clean the would despite his protests. Although she had to admit it was cute. "Oh hush, it doesn't hurt that much" she said playfully as she kissed the knight's cheek. Marco blushed and attempted to remain silent as Star worked, a small smile creeping across his face.

After a few moments the smile soon drops from Marco's face. However he doesn't react much to Star beginning to dress the now cleaned and more or less treated wound. Star notices his silence and his silent stare into nothingness. She recognised that look, she had only ever seen it when Marco was worried about something.

"Is everything okay Marco?" she asked as she continued to wrap a clean bandage around the wound on the knight's hand, being as delicate as possible as she did so. Marco remains silent and unresponsive for a moment, only serving to increase Star's concern for the knight. What could possibly be on his mind? Just as the princess was about to speak, the knight suddenly opened his mouth, cutting off her words.

"What if we fail?" he said quietly into space, not bringing his eyes up to meet Star's and not even really speaking to her, but seemingly to noone. It was as if his own internal doubt had just become to much to contain and had come out into the world involuntarily. The question however shocked Star who had never during this entire ordeal seen Marco for a second doubt their chances in victory.

He had been her rock and her support through all of this. He made her strong during all the times she had been close to giving in or submitting to the dark and occasionally inhuman thoughts that had dwelled within her during the times when all hope had seemed lost. He had been steady every moment she herself had faltered and now to hear these words fall from his lips. It was unthinkable. Star hadn't for a moment guessed that Marco had even housed doubts of this kind.

The girl gently placed her hand on Marco's cheek, bringing his hazel brown eyes up to meet her oceanic blue ones as she spoke soothingly to the knight. "We won't lose Marco, we can't lose, we've been through so much already and I won't let it be all for nothing" as she attempts to cheer his spirit and be his rock as he had been...was hers.

A blush appears at Marco's cheeks once more as he stares deeply into her eyes. A new expression on his face that Star hadn't seen before and she couldn't quite understand. As she was about to ask Marco what was wrong once again, the knight began speaking once again.

"If we lose, If Helios claims Mewni that'll be the end of it" he begins with a solemn tone as Star listens, evermore concerned with his speech and expression. "That monster will have his grand empire and you, me, everyone we love will lie dead in the battlefield as history forgets us, so much being unsaid..." Marco hesitates before he continues, appearing to seriously think about his next words carefully.

"So much being undone.." Marco looks down towards his feet, a solemn and deep thinking expression on his face as he dwells on his thoughts. Star however is thoroughly shocked at the speech she had listened from this knight. This knight who she loved so dearly had just said the most heartbreaking and inconceivable things and she couldn't understand what had suddenly come over him. Why now of all times were these doubts making themselves known? Just what had happened?

Quickly grabbing the knight's hands she pulled them up to her and spoke worriedly to her boyfriend with concern and a desperate need to lift his spirits in her voice. "Marco, what are you saying!?" she asked frantically. Marco simply looks up, stands from the bed and looks down towards Star, her beautiful face a display of perfect confusion at his actions thus far. He gave a small nod to himself, as if deciding on something before kneeling down before her, meeting the girl's gaze.

"Star, I love you more than life itself, ever since you came into my life everyday has been the adventure of a lifetime, If I hadn't had met you my life would've been as the forgotten and ordinary 'safe kid' but you've changed all of that and made me the happiest man across every dimension" He began, the speech bringing tears to Star's eyes as her hearts began to glow a bright pink at his words.

"I can't go into what might be the last fight I ever see tomorrow without one thing remaining unsaid" he says, his expression turning serious and he gazed deep into her eyes of pure dazzling blue. Just as Star is about to ask what he's talking about, he cuts her off.

"Princess Star Butterfly of Mewni, would you do me the greatest honour of becoming my wife?" Marco asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small platinum ring with a heart shaped, pink diamond in it's centre.

Star gasped, her hands immediately covering her mouth in shock as her hearts glowed more brightly than ever. Tears of joy came to her eyes immediately and there was no stopping them from flowing down her cheeks like tiny rivers. She couldn't find her voice through the joy that rocked her entire body. She could barely fathom what she had just heard, only ever hearing it in dreams before, she never considered she'd actually hear those words coming from her beloved's mouth one day.

Overcoming her initial shock, Star wrapped her arms around Marco's neck and pulled him onto the bed, Marco gulped when the two ended up laying on the bed, Marco hovering above Star as she gazed into his eyes with nothing but pure joy in her own. Tugging down at his neck, she pulled him into a deep kiss which lasted a few moments as the teen's passions at the moment took over.

As they separated for air Star smiled sweetly up at Marco before whispering in a gentle and happy voice "Yes Marco, of course I'll marry you" before pulling him into yet another kiss, pausing only briefly so that Marco could place the dazzlingly beautiful ring onto her finger before he got pulled into another kiss.

 **Butterfly Kingdom Dungeons-Mewni(Formally)**

Helvete strolled through the murky, dark and sodden dungeons that lurked within the catacombs of the fallen kingdom that he had conquered by his own hand. This place had been useful for storing insubordinates that this kingdom housed, including it's former monarchs. However now he was disappointed and angered that the place had been emptied by this attack right under his nose.

He had been inspecting the lines when a man informed him of the prison break, covering the distance had taken time and by the time the emperor had arrived the prisoners and their rescue party had already fled the empire's grasp. He cursed under his breath, someone was going to pay dearly for this.

His foot hit a puddle in the darkness and the emperor looked down curiously. Summoning a small flame to his palm, he illuminated the space revealing the bloodied and mutilated body of general Kahchi. The troops standing behind Helvete gasped in shock, while the emperor stood indifferent over the body, more annoyed that he'd sullied his boot with the general's blood.

Helvete sighed with contempt, looking down at the body and talking down to it in an annoyed and fustrated tone. "You stupid bastard Kahchi, it wasn't enough that you kill one of my generals but then you lose my prisoners and get killed in the process, to a group of teenagers no less? You really were as pathetic as I thought you were" He said dismissively to the body.

He then tilted his head to the side, considering a thought before begrudgingly stating "Although I'll give you this, you were definitely listening when I told you to hope you die before I find you should you fail, I'd consider yourself lucky". The general then ordered the troops behind him to remove the body as he walked out of the drab and dark abyss that formed these dungeons.

A young captain strolled behind the emperor, ensuring his bodyguard kept a close eye for any threats to the emperor's life. He couldn't help but wonder about something now that they had seen General Kahchi fallen. "Your imperial majesty, if I might be permitted to ask something of you?" he spoke nervously as the emperor strolled up the stairs into the brightly lit hallways of the former Butterfly castle.

"Yes yes, go ahead captain what is it?" the emperor spoke with a tone of slight annoyance to his voice. It had clearly been a bad day for him so the captain would be wise to choose his words extremely carefully.

"Well, your imperial majesty, with our top generals dead and the invasion expected at any minute, who is going to lead the armies if you will forgive my asking" the captain spoke, bowing to his emperor as he sought this information. The emperor stopped dead and turned to the captain, a sly smile plastered on his face. "I'm glad you asked that captain, we were just on our way to greet them" he said with a sinister tone.

The emperor and the captain moved through the castle until they reached Marco's old office, although the sign that had previously stated that had been torn down. "You see they came to us yesterday, offering assistance against the Butterfly family for a very simple price, they wanted to be the one to kill Eclipsa, can't stand monsters or monster lovers you see, frankly it's a goal I can get behind" the emperor spoke as he opened the door, revealing his newest general to the young captain.

"Captain, meet our newest general, the monster hunting expert and former pride of the Mewnian army, Mina Loveberry" He spoke with a laugh as the door revealed Mina sitting at her new desk, pondering the defences. An aid standing next to her, shaking in fear as he took notes everytime she ordered it. The girl's purple ponytails wrapped around the aid, holding him in place as she studied and occasionally glanced at the terrified man in anger.

"Ah, your imperial majesty, So good to see you, I hear however we've lost Eclipsa" Mina spoke in a disappointed tone to Helvete, who simply smiled and said. "Yes your predecessor was rather useless it seems, but no matter, she'll be back soon enough and then you will have your chance to slay her as you wished" he spoke with a formal and yet sinister tone as the two exchanged a sadistic smile.

"Good, I can't wait to see her suffer at my hand, when do we begin your imperial majesty?"

 **Lucitor Citadel**

Tom and Tamia arrived to massive fanfare within the kingdom, the streets of the kingdom leading to the citadel had been lined with cheering citizens and soldiers as the king's arrival was announced. The citadel guard raised the newly re-designed Lucitor flag high above the kingdom, showing it's newly found splendour and freedom from tyranny.

The new flag was a great central sun in blazing orange on a deep red background, stretching outwards from the sun were 5 large points symbolising the 5 great kingdoms that would form the free, post war, Mewni; The Lucitor Kingdom, the Butterfly Kingdom, the Johansen Kingdom, the Monster kingdom once it was reformed and finally Helios itself once it had been defeated and reorganised.

Tom felt a measure of pride returning to the kingdom, now his own kingdom. They still had a long way to go even after winning this war, but they were on the right path towards a true power now. A kingdom that personified both the virtues of peace and freedom for it's people, while simultaneously representing a display of power and strength. That was what his new kingdom needed to be.

Not to forget that, if everything went well, he would have the perfect queen by his side. A queen who would take the former Helios lands and restore them into a peaceful and strong ally to the new post-war Mewni. A union of that nature would establish the Lucitor and New Helios Kingdoms as a strong force for a new era in Mewni, alongside their newly reaffirmed bond with the Butterfly kingdom once it had been freed from Helvete's grasp.

This was all in the future however, for now there was a war to win. Tom wasted no time in calling his generals to the war room of the Lucitor Citadel. The general's rapidly arriving and taking their places around a great stone table that held a map of the butterfly kingdom within it. Generals were fumbling through a books worth of paper, junior officers regularly bringing them updates and running back and forth between messengers in order to organise the army for an immediate military operation.

For Tom however, he needed to know some very basic bits of information, namely; How large a force he could muster, and the weapons and equipment he could bring to the fight. The generals took some time to pull all of this information together, however after a small delay while messengers flowed back and forth, they found the information their king required.

Newly appointed Supreme General Modrich quickly stood to relay this information to the king. "Your majesty, the army has mustered 6,547 regular troops along with the conscription of 10,679 citizens in emergency measures, this leaves a small garrison of 436 troops and 289 volunteer peacekeepers to maintain order within the kingdom during the battle" The general spoke with an official and dignified voice that expressed only the facts.

'A total of 17,226 troops to face off against Helvete's potentially 30,000 plus, well at least it was over half' Tom thought as he thanked the general and turned to the next point of information. "Do we have anything on the level of the Helios technology general?" he asked, hoping desperately for some good news.

The general's reaction was mixed to say the least, "We do your majesty but, there isn't enough to go round our forces" he said with a heir of disappointment to his voice, a natural reaction to not having enough weapons for your forces, however Tom needed to know specifics before he debated strategy with the men before him. "Okay well, what do we have then?" he demanded to know.

"Before you liberated the kingdom your highness, the Helios forces had delivered some of their advanced weaponry here in a gesture of good will towards our alliance, as such we still possess this equipment" The general began as he took a sheet of paper from one of his junior officers nearby. Taking a pair of spectacles out of his pocket he began to read.

"This numbers 50 artillery pieces of medium calibre and 3 small airships, only prototype equipment that was improved upon and so never served with the Helios army, they would've scrapped all of it otherwise so it was given to us, but they can still be made ready to fight" The general reported as he placed the sheet of paper back down on the table.

A mixed murmur was heard from the other generals as battle plans and tactics were thought over, the older men pointing at maps and moving figurines representing divisions around as they planned the best invasion tactics of the Butterfly Kingdom.

"Well one thing is clear, we have to bring down the Helios guns, if those guns can be allowed to rain down fire on our forces they'll be wiped out before we can come within 6 miles of the target" One general noted, which most everyone agreed with.

Tom then spoke up "Very well then, we come up with a plan where the primary target is the enemy artillery, secondary targets are the enemy's airships and war rigs" Tom says aloud, as the generals begin to draw a battle plan to those specifications onto the stone map.

"Finally we encircle the Butterfly Kingdom itself and put it to siege while myself, Tamia, Star and Marco move to bring down Helvete, the army will focus on eliminating the Helios forces and preventing them from staging a breakout once surrounded" The generals nodded in series, none of them chomping at the bit to take on Helvete himself but were more than happy to fight his armies.

Tamia nodded as she took in the plan, but also looked on in admiration as Tom commanded and directed his generals. The teen was truly starting to look like a king, and she could only think about how lucky she was to have met him. A small blush coming to her cheeks as thoughts went through the girls mind.

After a few hours of deliberation and a plan being decided upon, the generals stood to salute their king and then left to make final preparations and rest before the day of battle came. Tom got up from his spot on the table and stretched out his body, turns out sitting for a few hours can tire you out more than he thought. A rest was definitely in order.

Turning to Tamia he held out a hand and smiled "Wanna go get some dinner?" he asked with kind eyes towards the scarlet eyed beauty. She blushed and took his hand "Yeah, I'm kinda starved" she giggled as the two made their way to the dining hall of the citadel.

 **A/N: A time of calm before the storm of war, But with Mina returning to lead the Helios forces against the Mewnian's can the Butterfly kingdom be liberated at all? Until next time guys**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25-Assaulting the Lines**

 **Guest Bedroom-Crystal Dimension**

Marco awoke the next morning with a light yawn, stretching out his body as he normally would before beginning his day as though it were any other. This was until he caught a glimpse of the peaceful, blonde girl next to him. As he looked down lovingly watching her lightly snore, a smile grows across his face and he began to lightly run his fingers through her silky and now rather messy from sleep hair. Last night had been more perfect than he could've imagined, there was nothing across all of his dimensional travels and adventures that compared to these moments he had spent with his fiance.

"Fiance huh?" Marco chuckled, that was certainly going to take some getting used to. But he loved to say it over and over in his head. Star had said yes, the most perfect and beautiful girl, his literal soul mate had agreed to be with him for his entire life. He couldn't think of anything he'd want more in this, or any other world.

Marco continued to lovingly watch Star's sleeping form for a while longer, not wanting to get up and face what this day held for him. If only he could stay this way forever, that would be more than enough for the knight. As he watched, Star began to stir, her eyes fluttering open as she yawned loudly. The princess stretched her arms above her head and stretched out as she wrestled away the urge to return to the land of sleep.

Once she had finished she looked up towards Marco, the knight still gazing down at her with an amused expression on his face. He'd never actually seen Star wake up before, usually greeting her in the morning as she burst through his door. "If only I got to wake up that relaxed each morning" he joked as Star sat up to meet his gaze. She playfully slapped his arm and replied with a joking tone "Oh hush, you love it" she said with a mischievous grin as she kissed the knight on the cheek.

Marco blushed at this and he looked down at the ring on Star's finger, it's gemstone glinting in the light of the room as she moved her hand. "Do you like it?" he said scratching his head nervously "I'm never really bought jewellery before so I wasn't sure what to get, I'm surprised it even fit if I'm honest and.." Star cut off Marco's nervous rambling by placing her lips to his in a loving kiss. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it was more than enough to snap Marco out of his nervousness.

When the couple parted Star looked into Marco's eyes with an expression of adoration fixed on her face. To the knight, she seemed to glow as she spoke and any feelings of nervousness or inadequacy within him simply melted away in her presence. "It's perfect Marco" she said simply before leaning forward to kiss the knight once more. Marco blushed deeply and Star couldn't help but giggle at him. She'd not seen Marco this nervous in a long time and it was just adorable.

Star begins to get up from the bed with a sigh. She wasn't exactly eager to leave Marco's side but she still had to get ready for the day. Grabbing a nearby towel and wrapping it around her slender figure she looked back at Marco who was, very obviously, trying to disguise that he was looking. She blushed and giggled lightly before disappearing into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Having observed Star as much as he could, Marco also gave a sigh and heaved himself out of the bed. He walked over to where his armour and clothing had been discarded the previous night and began to pick them up. With this action the truth of what this day brought dawned on him. Why he had proposed to Star on that particular night instead of any other. This was the dawn of their final battle against Helvete. A battle that both he and Star could potentially die during, and should they fail...

"No" Marco shook his head "No use thinking about that, we're not going to lose to him" he said with a serious and angered tone as he began to slip on his underclothes. He then turns his head towards his trademark armoured hoodie and trousers that had been crafted for him by Eclipsa over 2 years ago. They'd definitely seen more than their fair share of scrapes, cuts and other battle damage, but they'd have to do.

He pulls on the armour and ensures that it's comfortable to move in while still providing full protection to himself. Marco then completed the look by strapping his sword and scabbard to his side. It was a finely crafted steel blade with a black leather wrapped handle and steel crossguard. The pommel was plain and clearly only there to serve a purpose rather than contribute to decoration.

"Well, isn't pretty but it'll get the job done I guess" He muttered to himself as he examined the sword briefly before strapping it properly to his waist. He also took a small dagger and strapped it to his thigh for a sidearm. This was now Marco as ready for battle as he'll ever be, now all was left was to wait for Star. The knight quickly made the bed and finally sat down on it, awaiting his princess to finish getting ready.

It was a few minutes before Marco heard the click of the lock on the bathroom door. The noise caused him to jump slightly as he caught himself in a worried daydream about what could happen today. His nerves certainly weren't giving it a rest this morning that was for sure. The door opened slowly and a slightly saddened looking Star tiptoed from the opening into the room.

She was dressed in her own battle gear which consisted of a steel chestplate with a pink steel heart at its centre and a flowing skirt of armoured plates flowing down from it much in the same way as her mother's own armour did. Underneath this skirt she wore a pair of armoured trousers in much the same style as Marco's. Star possessed no immediate weapons beyond her wand which was held tightly in her right hand.

She looked up solemnly towards Marco. It was clear that while she was in the bathroom she had realised the same thing Marco had. That this was their day of battle, and potentially the last time they might see a great many of their friends and family. Star's eyes met the knights and she immediately rushed to him, embracing him tightly as she sought comfort from these thoughts and worries that plagued her mind.

"Hey" Marco said softly as her lifted Star's chin to gaze into her perfect, oceanic eyes "We're gonna win, I can feel it" He said, disguising his own worries through his assurances to the girl. She smiled lightly before burying her face in his chest once more, tightening her grip on him as her muffled voice reached Marco's ears. "Yeah, we can do this".

After a few moments the couple parted and looked towards the door. Marco took Star's hand in his own, squeezing it lightly as their fingers intertwined. They both sighed in unison before sharing a smile and walking out of the door into the grand maze of crystals outside.

 **Crystal Fields-Crystal Dimension**

Star and Marco walked out into the mighty space that formed Rhombulus' dimension, a grand area of calming blue hues set under a blackened starlit sky. The sea of crystals that populated the place had been thinned by the freedom of it's previously timelocked residents. Now the space was replaced by what looked to be thousands of monsters of all shapes and sizes. It wasn't one of the smartly uniformed and regimented armies that the kingdoms had commanded, not by a long way, but it was an army that Star and Marco were glad to have on their side.

That army was currently all facing off into the distance however, not a one of them was paying a lick of attention to the princess and knight. The couple were curious what could be drawing their attention and so began to walk to the rear ranks of the force, Star tapping one of the monsters on the shoulder, who turned to look down towards the pair with squinting green eyes.

"Yes?" He asked rather bluntly in a raspy sounding voice as he faced the pair. The monster was a pale green creature that Marco noted looked not all too dissimilar to a praying mantis. The main difference being that this creature possessed an extra set of arm-like appendages that were much more adapted to gripping and object manipulation, though not quite hands, they were close enough to be of use. "Well what is it? I'm missing a pretty good show here!" The creature spoke impatiantly in a rude tone towards the couple.

"Sorry, we were just curious what was happening?" Star enquired with a gentle voice towards the creature, hoping that her calm demeanour would get him to tell her what was going on. The creature sighed exasperatedly and spoke with an annoyed expression plastered across it's face. "Globgor and Eclipsa are arguing with the crystal, looking bastard who locked us all in here". The creature pointed off towards the distance where Star and Marco could clearly see the towering figure of Globgor and the small, black dressed Eclipsa sat on his large shoulder.

Star thanked the creature, who simply grumbled in response, before running off to see what the fuss was about dragging Marco behind her in her usual fashion. When the couple arrive, which took a few moments considering all of the monsters they had to wade through, they were presented with a strange scene.

Rhombulus was standing before a destroyed crystal which had clearly not been melted by his own methods. The crystal was blackened with purple veins running through what remained of it and the occupant was absent from it's entrapment. Rhombulus stood with an angry expression and pointed one of his snake hands up towards Eclipsa, who sat comfortably and confidently atop Globgor's shoulder with an amused grin on her face.

"Well he didn't hurt you did he?" Eclipsa said bluntly with a casual tone to her voice, as if not understanding the big deal that Rhombulus was making this argument into. This only served to annoy Rhombulus further as he couldn't argue this point with the former queen. The monster she freed hadn't even come near Rhombulus much less attempted to do him harm, as was the same for every monster in this dimension. All of them were under Globgor's command to do no harm to the crystal being, no matter how much any of them thought he deserved it.

"That's not the point!" he fired back, finding some form of argument, even if it wasn't the strongest one. Pointing to the blackened corrupted crystal he yelled "Look at what that spell does to my crystals! Do you have any idea how dangerous it'd be if this dimension becomes corrupted?!".

Eclipsa simply shrugged and opened a snookers bar, she'd located the vending machine a few hours ago and, having no money, simply broke in and took everything inside to satisfy her sugar addiction. 'Probably shouldn't tell Rhombulus about that just yet' She thought to herself with a chuckle as she turned back to the crystal being. "Well, I've done this a lot of times before and once the crystal eventually crumbles away into ash you'd never even know there was any corruption to begin with, not to mention it's held up pretty well considering it's been 300 years" she said, her mouth half full with Snookers.

Rhombulus groaned, he always hated arguing with Eclipsa the most. Of all the queens of Mewni he'd seen over his centuries, she was the most difficult to deal with and this time was no exception. If he had fists they'd be balled up in rage by now. "Eugh, this is exactly why you were frozen here in the first place Eclipsa!" he yelled out in anger, not really thinking about what he'd just said until he finished the sentence.

Rhombulus covered his mouth, immediately regretting what he said the second he laid eyes on Globgor. The colossal monster was still looming over him, casting a black shadow across the blue-stone floors of this dimension. Rhombulus gulped and looked up into the face of the beast, ignoring the small women on it's shoulder, instead staring right into it's great, yellow eyes that squinted down at the small crystal being.

Globgor is clearly not impressed with Rhombulus' outburst, looking down at the being who'd just shouted such a cruel thing to his beloved. The monster could easily crush the being under his heel and think nothing of it. The temptation was there for certain, they'd be no argument from his army, hell they'd probably cheer it. But he'd sworn to save Mewni from Helvete and to not harm this glorified prison guard. 'Ugh, what a pain' Globgor thought to himself as he crossed his arms and continued to stare down at the crystal being beneath him.

"Umm...sorry, I..Didn't mean it like that..." Rhombulus nervously rambled as he scratched the back of his head, trying to avoid eye contact with the great creature before him. A monster he'd potentially just pissed off without really thinking. Needless to say Rhombulus was pretty terrified by this point.

Globgor sighed and looked to the petite figure of Eclipsa on his shoulder. Still happily munching on her candy, seemingly oblivious to what Rhombulus had just said. She caught Globgor's gaze and smiled pleasantly at the creature before placing a gentle kiss to his cheek. Globgor blushed lightly, although it would've been difficult to see for his naturally red skin, before then turning back down to look upon Rhombulus.

"It fine, forget it" he sighed as he looked down at the being. "Just go get ready for fight" he said. Rhombulus obeyed, not wanting to risk actually angering Globgor, he strolled off to gather what he needed for the upcoming battle. He nodded to Star and Marco on the way past who smiled at the crystal being. Star whispering as they passed him "Thank you Rhombulus". This drew a small blush from Rhombulus as he walked away without a word, naturally to nervous to speak as was his nature.

Globgor spotted the couple approaching and turned to face Star and Marco with a bright smile on his face. "Star, Marco, You earn love of all monster, me most of all!" He said excitedly as his face continued to beam in an expression of glee to once again see the young couple. "You free Eclipsa, you greatest heroes Globgor ever know! Globgor pay you back, promise!" He continued in his enthusiastic rambling and thanking of the couple as Eclipsa let herself down from his shoulder, floating gently to the ground with elegance and grace.

As she reached the ground, Eclipsa ran up to the pair and embraced them both tightly in a loving hug. The pair returned the hug as the three reunited properly after such a long separation. Through tears of joy Eclipsa whispered into the couple's ears "I can't ever thank either of you enough". She grips them tighter and weeps tears of unrelenting joy into their shoulders.

"It wasn't enough that you freed me from that bastard's prison, you even brought me back to my beloved" she said joyfully, her voice muffled slightly by the pair she wept into. Star and Marco smiled and continued to let Eclipsa find comfort in their embrace. "I can't even begin to repay you for everything you've done for me" she says as she parts from the couple and stands before them.

"But me and Globgor are with you both till the end, whatever form that happens to take" She affirms with a confident smile before walking to Star and whispering quietly in her ear so as Marco was unable to hear. "Although if we survive this you're definitely gossiping with me about how you got that ring" the woman spoke slyly. Star giggled and nodded eagerly as both girls giggled, drawing confused looks from both Marco and Globgor.

Marco shrugged it off and looked up towards Globgor, now speaking officially as he began to set his mind to the task at hand. "Globgor, ready the armies, we're moving to the rendezvous point as soon as you're ready" he speaks confidently to the monster. Globgor nodded and turned to his army to begin the necessary organisation. Eclipsa quickly ran after him, yelling for him to put her back on his shoulder as they moved into the vast crowd of monsters that formed the grand army they'd built.

Star and Marco chuckled at the spectacle before Marco drew his dimensional scissors and began to cut several portals, all of them going to the same destination. After cutting around 10 portals he turned to Star and the nearby crowd which now included Rhombulus and Hekapoo, Queen moon reportedly having gone to the Johansen kingdom to find River and ready them for the upcoming battle. "Ready?" he asked, greeted by a series of nods from the crowd.

Star took his hand in her own and placed a light kiss to his cheek "Let's go, I want to have dinner in a free Mewni tonight" she said confidently as the pair were the first to cross through the portal.

 **Rich Pigeon Kingdom Ruins- Mewni (Formally)**

The cold, long abandoned ruins of the first kingdom to be put to the torch at Helvete's hand were now once again occupied by those who would see Helios purged from their lands and homes. The space around the ruins had been converted into a war camp, tents and simple structures littered the space. Areas for weapons storage and maintenance, food preparation structures, resting and preparation zones, training grounds and in the centre a parade square for practicing mass manoeuvres and formations.

This was a new Mewnian force, a force forged in the crucible of fire, war and death. Every man among them was ready and willing to give their last to reclaim their homeland from these invaders that had swept in and caused such chaos and destruction, murder and torment that upheaved the once peaceful existence of this landscape. No quarter was received, and none would be given in return.

The Lucitor armies as well as numerous collections of Mewnian knights that had escaped the fall of the Butterfly kingdom were already preparing to meet their enemy on the field of battle. Tom and Tamia were in the command tent discussing strategy and manoeuvres with numerous generals and warfare experts that had gathered from all around. Talks were going well and the strategy against the Helios forces that now occupied the Butterfly kingdom was near complete. All that was required now was the final muster and organisation of forces at the staging points.

An aid walked into the command tent, bowing at the waist before Tom before he continued, he spoke in an official and formal tone that was becoming of a butler more than a military man. "Your majesty, a series of portals have opened on the south hill just outside of the camp, Princess Star Butterfly and Sir Marco Diaz are arriving with their forces as we speak" came the report. Tom nodded and thanked the aid before bringing himself to his feet and making his way outside of the command tent.

Tamia joined him as the pair observed the south hill, which formed one of the borders of this mighty camp that housed the armies of the free Mewnian peoples. As the couple watched, a stream of monsters of all shapes and sizes began to pour outwards from the portals. Thousands of them, many bearing clubs, axes and war hammers with many more needing no weapons, choosing to fight with teeth and razor sharp claws.

At the rear of this mighty army of monstrous creatures was a giant creature with red skin, stripes and four large, yellow eyes. A small women clad in black and wielding a twisted staff of iron with a spade-shaped black gemstone at its peak was sat atop the giant's shoulder, commanding the forces alongside him with a smile on her face.

Tom and Tamia smiled, this army swelled their ranks by more than they could possibly imagine. The men in their army were at first understandably nervous, Mewmans and monsters had been adversaries for centuries, a fragile peace the only thing stopping all our war between the two races. Now they would be fighting side by side against a foe who had proven themselves to be more monstrous than even the most feared creatures on the Mewnian fields and forests.

It wasn't long before the unease between the forces had passed, and soon Mewman, Lucitor and monster alike were sharing stories, laughing, feasting and preparing for battle as one people and one army. Unified by their desire to liberate their beloved homeland. This had been a goal that Star had worked for years now to achieve, as it turns out it took a total invasion of Mewni to achieve. 'Okay, not the best way to achieve unity and peace between monsters and Mewmans but, hey whatever gets the job done' thought Star as she and Marco approached Tom and Tamia at the command tent.

The two couples greeted one another cheerfully enough, all circumstances considered. Tom couldn't help but notice the ring on Star's finger that twinkled in the sun's rays. Star noticed his glance towards the ring and smiled happily, guessing that he'd already deduced the rings meaning. Tom looked up at Marco and spoke with a chuckle "Thought you were saving that for a different night?" he asked. Tamia, who hadn't noticed the ring yet, looked curiously at Tom.

"Saving what?" she asked, with a questioning tone before noticing that Star hand lifted her hand to show the ring more clearly. Star, giggling, glanced at Marco as she did so. When it finally clicked Tamia congratulated the couple, a little too enthusiastically for comfort but it made Star chuckle to see Tamia so happy for them.

"Anyway, future marriage's aside, we have an invasion to start" Tom finally said, leading the others into the command tent. The teens entered the tent at the same time, the generals inside immediately coming to attention and saluting them as they entered. The salutes were returned and the generals stood at ease before the breakdown of their battleplans commenced.

General Modrich took the lead in explaining their situation, clearing his throat before commencing his speech. "Scouts have reported that the enemy is extremely well entrenched, Unfortunately we can't get close enough to examine the full depth of the Helios defence" He spoke as he pointed towards a series of drawings on the map, denoting just how much of the Helios defences they'd been successful in mapping out.

It wasn't much, only 2 lines of trenches had been drawn on the map, they were quite a distance from the Butterfly Kingdom itself, implying that there were many more layers behind them. What was worse was that there was not a lot else, either implying that it was a simple, trench-only defence or that the additional defences were hidden or further back. To Marco it appeared as if they would be marching into the unknown, and potentially a deathtrap.

"We have however, come up with an excellent counter to Helios airpower thanks to some boffins in engineering" The general spoke with a smile before unfurling a set of blueprints which contained designs for an airship on them. Marco and the others looked on confused for a moment before the general began to explain his thinking.

"Those 3 airships we have weren't much of a threat by themselves, and neither was the artillery, all of it being older equipment Helios had no further use for" he began, pointing to a spot on the blueprints. "However, by combining the two, we create an effective and dangerous anti-aircraft and land attack airship that can out range the Helios aircraft by enough that it won't matter how many they bring to bear against our forces".

On the plans, each airship had been outfitted with 1 frontal artillery gun and 4 broadside guns at each side, in addition to their standard crew compliment who could protect the craft from short range attacks if necessary. It was an impressive innovation to the design and needless to say the teens were impressed by this act of turning outdated and ineffective equipment into dangerous and tide-turning weapons.

"The remaining artillery will follow on behind the advancing troops and provide support, company commanders have been provided with small containers that will produce red smoke when detonated, these will assist the artillery in adjusting their aim" Modrich said as he held up a small metal canister that looked fairly unassuming to the untrained eye.

He then pointed to the map once more "We will advance in three lines of attack, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd armies will advance on the Helios left flank, cutting their way through the cornfields to approach the Butterfly kingdom from the west" He looked towards Marco and Star as he said this "This will be your advance Sir Marco and Princess Butterfly". The couple nodded in understanding of their route, Modrich then turned to Tom and Tamia.

"Your Majesty and Princess Tamia, your route will be taking the 4th, 5th and 6th armies to attack the Helios right flank, moving up through the former Butterfly kingdom's industrial centre to approach the kingdom from the East" He said as he outlined the attack route on the map. Tom and Tamia nodded in understanding and gestured for Modrich to continue the plan.

"Globgor and Eclipsa will lead the monster army down the central route, engaging the Kingdom from the North and using their naturally higher strength to create a spearhead through the central lines, hopefully this should cause a disorganised retreat from the defenders". Modrich then directed to three lines drawn outside the kingdom itself.

"As per his majesties orders, all armies will stand fast at the border, surrounding the city as they link up with the Johansen armies that will be assaulting the southern approaches, leaving no escape for the enemy forces" The general looked up to the teens before him and said with a slightly worried tone "Assuming we don't run into the bastard beforehand, you four will then move into the city to bring down Helvete himself, seeing as how you're the only ones who stand a chance against him".

The teens nodded in confirmation before Marco stood up and said plainly "Well, what are we waiting for?". The other teens around him smiled at the comment and stood with him, they shared a hug and wished each other luck, before they all stepped out of the command tent.

 **Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni (Formally)**

Helvete sat alone at a grand table in the Butterfly castle dining hall, Breakfast had been served to him and he was busying himself with a hearty meal before battle. The hall was redecorated in a Helios style, flags and portraits of the great leaders of Helios' past were positioned along the walls that had once housed the portraits of the Queens of Mewni and family photo's of the current royal family. Those heirlooms had been taken down and trashed during the first days of occupation, Helvete having no need for the sentiment of his enemies.

The emperor's meal was interrupted by an aid approaching the table, he was dressed smartly in a typical butlers style suit with a small royal crest embroidered into the left chest pocket. The aid bowed at the waist as he came to a halt before Helvete, as he came up he began to speak in a very monotone and official sounding voice.

"Your imperial majesty, my apologies for disturbing your breakfast, but Mewnian scouts have been spotted by the forward lines, we have reason to believe they are preparing for an invasion". Hearing this news Helvete smiled a sickening grin of sadistic pleasure, it was what he'd been waiting for, finally the battle to end it all would be at his doorstep.

The emperor rises to his feet, the smile never dropping from his lips, casting aside his breakfast and turning to the aid. "Finally" he said in what sounded to the aid like a relieved tone, much like a child recovering from a bout of boredom. "Send orders to the 1st Air Squadron to send a couple of airships out, let's find out where they're coming from shall we?" Helvete ordered as he moved towards his armour.

The aid once again bowed politely at the waist and spoke once more "At once your imperial majesty" he said in the same monotone voice before disappearing down the hall at a quickened, but dignified, pace. With the aid gone Helvete once again turned to his armour, hung up on a stand which displayed it pleasantly to the room. It was lighter armour than most monarchs wore by traditional standards, consisting mostly of pieces that hid under his normal uniform.

Aside from those sections that hid under his uniform there was a steel chestplate that was emblazened with the royal crest in its centre. The chestplate wasn't solid, instead consisting of several moving plates that allowed Helvete greater mobility during battle. He'd specifically requested this to fit with his rapid paced and mobile form of fighting. His engineers and blacksmiths didn't disappoint, they were still the greatest industrial minds across all of Mewni after all.

The great doors to the dining hall suddenly flew open with a mighty crash, the wooden doors cracking and splintering as they slammed against the wall. Helvete barely looked away from his armour as he continued to prepare for battle. Disinterestedly he spoke to the individual stood at the door with a string of contempt in his voice. "Can you kindly avoid breaking the doors in my new castle Mina? Funnily enough it tends to get annoying getting them fixed all the time".

Mina Loveberry stood at the door with a crazed look on her face, although what had set her off this time was anyone's guess. Helvete had discovered quickly that the legendary warrior of Mewni had lost her sanity many years ago, all that was left was a dangerously strong girl obsessed with the destruction of monsters. She possessed little regard for tactical thinking or self preservational instinct that had once made her famous as much as her strength. Still, with his best generals dead this was probably the best Helvete had for the time being.

Mina still had very little respect for authority, her insanity still burning away at her militarily crafted mind, in the case of Helvete however she begrudgingly put up with taking orders to get to her end goal. Globgor and Eclipsa. The heads of those two would be a grand prize on her mantle, once they were dead it was assured in her mind that the monsters would submit and leave Mewni forever. Then maybe she could finally sleep.

"Well, sorry man but I just heard we've got an invasion coming towards us, I'd have thought you'd be a little more grateful to have your general nearby to..." Her words were cut short as Helvete struck the girl across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor. Once she looked up in anger, her eyes only met the crimson glowing red ones of Helvete. The emperor had an impatient and angered look on his face that even shook Mina a little as she looked up towards it.

"Man?" he began in anger, his eyes glowing brightly as he spoke, rage seething from every syllable. "You'll address me with my proper title as everyone else does, you might be strong, but you're still nothing compared to me Mina" Helvete's hand gripped Mina's chin tightly, dragging the girl up to eye level as she put up a futile struggle. "Now, are you going to do as your told? or do you need a lesson in respect?" The emperor threatened with a cold tone in his voice.

The remains of Mina's sanity pulled together as best they could as she went wide-eyed with fear, a feeling she had not felt for so many years now. She nodded and spoke, her voice muffled by Helvete's grip on her chin. "Yes...Yes Your imperial majesty, I'm sorry" she struggled out. Helvete simply scoffed in disgust and threw the girl back to the floor, turning his back to her.

"Go and prepare the troops, that should put you out of my sight for a while, and don't dare talk to me like that again...or Else" he warned the girl. Mina nodded and ran from the great hall as fast as she could. As she ran a thought came to mind 'So, that's what fear is like...' she considered as the last dregs of her mind fought to maintain her sense of danger 'It's...familiar'.

 **Rich Pigeon Kingdom Ruins- Mewni (Formally)**

The sounds of engines buzzed overhead as the gathered forces looked up towards enemy airships in the sky. They were some distance away yet, 3 airships of the Helios occupying airforce. But the noise of their engines was as clear as day as they approached in formation towards the awaiting camp. General Modrich observed their approach through a telescope, a studious look on his face. Lowering the telescope, he turned to an officer standing beside him.

"Are the airships ready captain?" he asked with a calm demeanour. The officer nodded in confirmation. Modrich smiled at the news and immediately looked back through his telescope towards the approaching airships. "Send the Ajax on an interception course, give no quarter" Modrich ordered as he observed the enemy's approach. The captain saluted and ran at full tilt to the awaiting airship.

"Prepare for takeoff and ready the guns!" The captain yelled as he borded the airship at breakneck pace. Immediately the previously lounging and relaxing crew rushed to their positions, an alert ran throughout the airship as all hands were ordered to action stations. The mighty guns of the Ajax were uncovered and the crew began loading and adjusting their range finders.

The Ajax loosed it's ground tethers and began to rise into the air, it's powerful engines roaring to life and propelling the airship forward to meet it's opponents. The captain stood on the upper deck, observing the approaching airships with his telescope. "Just a little closer.." He muttered to himself before noticing the closest airship. Looking down at his targeting officer he issued the first orders of the battle.

"Turning Starboard, Bearing 065, ready the port side guns to engage the central airship" He ordered. Immediately the crew rushed into life and began fulfilling those orders to the letter. The airship veered as it turned to it's starboard, exposing the port side of the craft to the enemy. The guns on the port side, numbering 4 in total were loaded and focused onto the central airship in the pack, the gunners adjusting their rangefinders onto target.

"All guns ready sir!" An officer reported up from below decks, the officer on the upper deck confirmed before turning toward the captain. "All guns ready, on your orders sir!" He reported, speaking up to be heard over the noise of the crew and especially the engines. The captain turned to the officer, taking down his telescope and holding it at his side. He smiled confidently before yelling across the ship, piercing through the noise of all around him. "All gun crews, load with HE shells, engage, engage, engage!"

All guns aboard the Ajax opened fire immediately, the pounding of the guns echoing over the valley as jets of flame shot from their barrels, shells launching towards the approaching Helios airforce. The captain of Ajax looked on and waited patiently to see if the shots hit home. Immediately he and the rest of the crew rejoiced as the shells slammed into the hull of the lead airship. 4 explosions ripping through it's front hull and main balloon, the gases inside igniting as the craft became a brilliant fireball that lit up the sky like a second sun as it descended to the ground with a mighty crash like thunder.

Shrapnel from the blasts had impacted the other two airships, causing minor damage but clearly the crews were shaken as they began to bank and sluggishly attempt to turn in retreat. The captain smiled once again as they had done exactly what they wanted, by turning away they were now facing him side on, giving his gunners a much bigger target. Commanding down to his gunners once again he yelled "Bring down the final two airships, HE Shells, Fire at will!".

The guns opened up on the final two airships, broadside after broadside burying themselves in their hulls. The explosions of the impacts barely drowning out the screams of the crew aboard as they frenzied to escape their burning crafts before they tumbled from the sky. Men on the Ajax watched as their enemies leapt from dizzying heights rather than risk their chances aboard the crashing airships.

Final great explosions ripped through the air as the gas aboard each airship caught and ignited in a fireball with shone with enough intensity to force those previously watching the battle to avert their eyes in fear of blindness, the shockwave of the explosions shaking the Ajax as she ceased fire on the vessels. As the light died back down the crews and obervers on the ground watched as the final airships crashed to the ground with a deafening impact.

The crew began to cheer, the first victory of the day had been won. What's more the new weapon had been proved to work, and was superior in both range and firepower to their enemy, leaving only the numerical disadvantage to worry about. True enough only Ajax had been tested, but this proved to Modrich's mind that Hood and Revenge would be just as capable once they were in the air as well.

The captain nodded to his first mate before ordering the airship to turn about and land, they would need a quick refuel and rearm before moving on to Mewni.

On the ground, Marco and Star had been watching the battle along with Tom and Tamia. Cheering at each airship that fell from the sky as the dogfight had raged up above. Seeing Ajax turn back, Marco turned to Star and took her hand gently prompting Star to turn to him, curious as to what he wanted. Marco smiled gently and said with a face filled with hope once more "We've got this, let's go and show Helvete what happens when you mess with Mewni". Star giggled and nodded, the two went to join with their armies as the invasion prepared to move out.

 **Central Command-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)**

"Room Ho!" The order came through the room as every man immediately halted their various tasks and brought themselves to attention. The emperor walked through the door and took in the room for a moment before speaking, "At ease men, I'm sure you've got a lot to be getting on with so keep working" he ordered in a very informal and pleasant tone towards the various officers and soldiers dotted throughout the room.

"Thank you, your imperial majesty" the officers and men announced in unison before continuing to their duties as they had been before the emperor had made his entrance. A scene of military precision and command. Reports and orders being issued in and out on a constant basis, generals studying and marking maps, arguments on tactics and use of divisions on which section with which weapons. Helvete looked upon the scene with a measure of pride before a general approached him and saluted properly before speaking in a confident tone.

"Your imperial majesty, your command station has been prepared as to your instructions, however I must report some poor news that we've received from the front". Helvete sighed, problems already and the battle hadn't even started, his men really were determined to suck all of the fun out of this weren't they?

"Alright, what's the issue general?" he sighed as he walked through the building towards his command room. The general gulped nervously, as of late people who give bad news to the emperor had a bad habit of ending up dead or imprisoned, sometimes death being the preferable option. "Well, the airships you sent to scout the enemy positions...have All been brought down" The general reported nervously, awaiting a rebuke of some kind from the emperor.

None came, the emperor turned and had a strange little smile across his lips. "Hmm, I thought they might be, a necessary sacrifice to mark the enemy positions and determine if the Butterfly family and Lucitor 'King' is among them, seeing as how they are the only enemies in that army capable of combat in flight" He said with a confident and strangely happy tone.

"Now that we've determined everyone has taken their positions, what do you say we raise the curtain and star the show general?" Helvete asked, The general stiffened and saluted. "Immediately your imperial highness, praise Helios!" he announced as he moved away to perform his duties. Helvete meanwhile took a seat at his command post and looked over the battlefield.

It was a sight to behold. Thousands of troops and conscripts preparing their trenchlines for the oncoming assault. Drills and practice runs of counter-offences and encircling tactics were going on along the front. Engineers rushing between various machines and fixed defences, attempting to prepare a wall of steel for the Mewnian forces to crash against.

The previous greenery and beautiful landscape that had once made the Butterfly kingdom the most pituresque place in all of Mewni was now gone. What remained were the scars of warfare and conquest. The grass had now gone, bogs and mires with mile after mile of exposed earth and crater impacted landscape replaced it, Rivers were muddied with blood, dirt and the bodies of those who had fallen in previous battles.

This war seemed to be poisoning the land itself as it ripped through Mewni and claimed a massive portion of it's population. This was only to get worse before it was allowed to attempt to recover. But to Helvete, it was perfection already. The landscape was perhaps tainted by war in the eyes of many but to him, it was a representation of his conquest of this kingdom that had wronged him in so many ways. Poisoning their lands only meant that his own lands were superior. Decimating their population simply proved they were weak.

"This is my Empire, built by my will, and I would see it burn to ash before I surrender what I've created" Helvete spoke to himself, as he heard the pounding of artillery commence in the distance.

 **1st Defensive line (Centre)- Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni (Formally)**

The troops stood at the front were in their trenches, preparing for battleand running through drills. There was not a single loitering man within the trenchline, especially after hearing the thunderous crashes and witnessing the smoke plumes from the airships that had been sent to scout their enemy. Truth be told, it made many of the men nervous to say the least, but seeing their numerical and technological superiority assured most that they were more than ready for whatever this rebel army could throw at them.

Suddenly a shout was heard from one of the observation points. "Enemy spotted, 800 meters, bearing 012!". The cry echoed across the trenchline as further cries from the observation points further along the line carried the call across to every man ready for war. 6,000 men of the front line positions gathered to the front and readied for the battle, drawing weapons and preparing to conduct their duty.

Suddenly they heard a mighty roar echo through the air. The ground shook as the vibrations from the sound ripped through the landscape with a merciless violence. Men covered their ears in a desperate attempt to block out the assault on their senses. Soldiers of Helios reduced to fearful souls, shielding themselves from the deafening noise much like scared children.

The roar was followed by a crash as a wall of flames smashed into the lines, several soldiers screamed in pain and anguish as the flames consumed their bodies. Many more began to duck lower and pray for salvation. This was more firepower than they alone were able to repel, this front line being made mostly of conscripts whose only job was to delay the enemy before retreating. They weren't prepared for an assault of this calibre.

As the flames ceased, the soldiers began to rise from their cover in preparation for a fight. However before they could lift their heads above the trenchline, the first impacts of enemy artillery hammered the ground, forcing the Helios forces back into the protection of their trenches.

A few brave and reckless souls attempted to fire back against the onslaught, only to be cut down as they stuck their heads above the trenchline. Many others cowered in their lines, too afraid to face the madness above them. A loud cry suddenly broke through the barrage of the artillery. Along with a series of whistle blows that travelled up and down the lines, a rehearsed and well drilled manoeuvre that all the men recognised. "Retreat!" Came the cry, every officer at the front now issuing the same order simultaneously. "Pull back to the 2nd line!".

The men who had cowered now acted on instinct and scrambled up the ladders behind them, running as quickly as they could manage towards the Butterfly Kingdom. The rear lines were a good distance away to allow for their artillery to engage the enemy as they followed behind the retreating troops. This had been well drilled, but it had been expected that they would hold the line much longer than this in the initial planning.

Another roar echoed from behind the retreating men, threatening to burst their eardrums with its power and intensity. A number of them couldn't resist the urge to look back, many who did cried out in terror and began to move faster and faster in a desperate attempt to get away from what they saw.

In the distance, now giving chase to the Helios forces, was an army of the most terrifying beings that these men had ever seen. A monstrous force of creatures of every shape, size and description. They all however had a single thing in common that terrified the men more than their physical appearance. It was the intense stare of hatred that radiated from every last monster's eyes. Especially from the one at their centre, a colossal beast silhouette against the smoke and chaos of battle. It's four bright yellow eyes piercing through the smoke and locking onto the Helios forces with an intense glare.

On it's mighty shoulder appeared the silhouette of a woman. Small in stature but her own eyes seemed to posses a dark aura about them. The woman held aloft what appeared to be a thin staff. Those who had dared to look back as they retreated suddenly saw a green flash appear from the woman and a wall of what appeared to be green flames shot towards the retreating forces at rapid speed.

Those who had been late to get out of the trench were the first unlucky ones to be exposed to this dark spell. As it hit the men who were caught by it screamed in agony as their eyes turned black, their veins turning into blackened tracks across their bodies, almost as if their blood had been replaced with oil. The screaming finally stopped abruptly when the men, their eyes blackened and lifeless, dropped to the ground with a thud.

The wave continued towards the rest of the retreating troops, who after seeing what it had done to their comrades, weren't waiting around for it to get them too. They ran for their lives in a desperate panic, the organised retreat giving way to a full route of the front line forces. Those at the 2nd line of defences ducked below the trenchline, praying that the demonic spell wouldn't reach them and trying to drown out the screams of anguish which echoed across the lines.

The wave of magic dissipated just shy of the 2nd Defensive line. A few of the men poked their head above the defences and saw that their artillery had opened up on the advancing forces, forcing the sorceress to focus her abilities on a shield that protected her army from the oncoming barrage. The monstrous army was still advancing on however, unphased by the shells that pounded their shield from above. The men were more shocked by the look of the ground around their lines.

Thousands of men who had been previously retreating, now lay dead in the muddy, war torn fields of Mewni. Their eyes blackened and their skin pale white from the effects of the spell. Only a few had made it back to the 2nd trenchline, in no condition to fight as fear overwhelmed them. The 2nd trenchline were no mere conscripts as the first line had been. These were battle hardened Helios soldiers numbering 7,467 men under arms. Their job was to repel the attack and resist the enemy without giving ground. But they had to admit, the speed at which the first line had been wiped out scared them.

The men prepared to fight back and drew their weapons in readiness for the assault. Looking on with nervousness as the great beast out front took a deep breath, and launched a sea of flames from its mouth.

 **2nd Defensive line (Left)-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni (Formally)**

The defences on the empire's western lines had been holding a little better than their centre, however the troops on the first line had still retreated quickly when faced with the onslaught of the combined Lucitor/Butterfly forces. Marco and Star supplementing their forces advance with powerful spells which ripped through the first lines of battle like paper.

Being that these were Mewnian Knights, they were able to conjure their own shields in an attempt to form a strong shield wall that could survive the oncoming barrage of artillery shells that had begun to rain down on their advancing line. This wasn't as effective as Eclipsa's own shield had been but it was strong enough to ensure they took minimal losses as they approached. The Lucitor forces within the line began to fire barrage after barrage of fire blasts as they advanced, suppressing the Helios forces and keeping their heads down in their trenches so they could not answer back with their own firepower quite as efficiently.

The Helios forces were pinned down but heavy fighting continued between the two sides as they did everything they could to stop the advancing Mewnian army. One commander called in for the war rigs to be deployed early so as to force the aggressors back with armoured support. But his orders were countermanded by the high command whose strategy was uncompromising.

The defending forces began to take serious casualties as the trenchline defences broke down. The fortified bunkers detonated as Star and Marco began to hit them with powerful beams of energy that detonated the Bunkers magazines, igniting them like roman candles, sending flames hundreds of meters into the sky. As the bunkers fell, the returning fire from the Helios forces waned against the tide of fire from the Mewian armies and soon another series of whistles was heard across the line as commanders up and down the second trenchline called for a further retreat to the third line.

The retreat was much more organised this time as previously hidden attack squadrons of war rigs came from their bunkers to support the retreating forces. Advancing up towards the trenchline their crews shooting jets of flame from their armoured hulls. They were well armoured enough to shrug off the impacts of the blasts that the Mewnian knights laid down on them with a ferocious intensity.

The war rigs advanced, forming a wall of steel between the retreating Helios forces and the advancing Mewnian army. Marco saw how resilient these new machines were almost immediately, luckily he had considered a solution to a stagnation in the line and turned towards a nearby signalman. "Signal for a creeping barrage commencing 200 meters forward of our position" he ordered, having to yell over the sounds of conflict all around.

The signalman nodded and pulled out a small capsule, loading the capsule into an arrow he fired towards the wall of war rigs that were laying down fire on the Mewnian positions. Immediately a mist of purple smoke began to rise from where the arrow had hit. A few moments after the smoke had begun to rise, shells began to rain down onto the war rigs.

The drivers of the rigs were forced to make a fighting retreat as the shells destroyed tracks and crashed through rigs causing them to detonate on impact. The wall of steel pulled back but the barrage followed their retreat as it crept forwards. The Mewnian army advanced not far behind the impacts of their artillery, protected from counterattacks as the shells pounded the Helios forces.

Star smiled up at Marco as they advanced together "Okay, that was pretty good thinking" she said sweetly as Marco chuckled confidently. "Told ya it'd work" he said as the two pressed on alongside their forces, from here on out they had no idea about how far the defences reached, but Marco heard the telltale rumbling of engines in the distance. It looked like the airships were next.

 **Central Command-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)**

Helvete was becoming increasingly fustrated with his military's poor performance. From his position he saw the battle unfold, the blasts of the artillery thundering across the lines and churning the landscape into an indistinguishable crater filled hellscape. Jets of flame shooting in all directions as explosions and pryrokinetic blasts launched between the two armies. The smoke...everywhere the smoke covered everything, lit up only by the flames that produced it, the scene now darkened as the smoke rose to block out the sun itself.

But Helvete through it all could see only one thing. His forces were losing. They'd been forced to retreat on all fronts, in some cases all the way back to the 3rd defensive line. The only place they'd been moderately successful was on the eastern defence lines. They'd still been forced to retreat from the front lines but the 2nd lines were holding fairly strong against the Mewnian armies, stagnating the front in that sector.

The central and western lines however were crumbling, the central line facing down the monster armies were coming under especially heavy attack. The monster armies led by Globgor and Eclipsa forming a spearhead that forced it's way past the 2nd line and was now pressing heavily on the 3rd. His air force was now moving forward in support but Helvete could also see three airships, Mewnian colours flying from their decks, bearing down on his defences.

He turned to Mina, who was standing nearby yelling at officers to conduct suicidal orders in aid of the defence, and ordered her to his presence. Mina stood fearfully before Helvete, realising that she was failing to protect the empire from this invasion and thus this might be where she meets her end. But to her surprise Helvete, with a still angered and fustrated tone to his voice, simply said "I think it's time you got your reward don't you?".

This strange response drew a questioning look from Mina, she looked up and asked cautiously "M..My reward your imperial majesty?". Helvete nodded and then pointed towards Globgor on the central lines. "You recall that I would allow you to kill Globgor and Eclipsa in return for assisting me?" he said in a calm and calculated tone before a small smile crept across his lips. "Well...go and claim your prize, Kill them both and dispense with the monster army while you're at it" he ordered.

This set of orders caused Mina to mimic the sadistic smile that Helvete often showed. Her love of killing monsters now overwhelming her fear of the emperor. She nodded and transformed into a musclebound 6 foot tall behemoths of a warrior with a glowing aura that surrounded her body and glowing white eyes. Saluting the emperor she said quickly "It will be done your imperial majesty" before laughing maniacally to herself and flying out of the command centre towards the battle below.

Helvete took his seat back at the command centre and prepared to watch the ensuing carnage. A grin of satisfaction and excitement across his face.

 **A/N: So the 2nd Battle of Mewni is well underway and the Mewnian forces have gained ground on all fronts. But now Mina is coming to face down Globgor and Eclipsa. The Helios Air force is now drawn into the fight and the 3rd and 4th lines of the Helios defences are yet to be broken. Can the Mewnian armies accomplish victory against the Helios defenders? Or will Mewni remain under the grip of Helvete forever more? Until next time guys :)**

 **2nd A/N: Just a quick sidenote, wouldn't expect these final chapters to be in quick succession, They're much longer and I'm a horrible procrastinator, but they'll get done I promise :) Hope you guys enjoy :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26- The Final Assault**

 **2nd Defensive line (Right)-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni (Formally)**

The Mewnian 4th, 5th and 6th Armies fought bitterly through the Butterfly Kingdom's industrial sector. Unlike the other sectors of the front, this sector had no formal frontlines as such nor did it have any real trenches to breach. However this sector was by far the most violent and unforgiving across the lines of the grand battle that was taking place. Due to the nature of this area, the fighting had devolved into a brutal house to house and room to room form of close quarters warfare.

Soldiers were no longer fighting for trenchlines or to crush defensive structures. Instead battles were being fought over single buildings, floors and even over rooms within a building itself, the front giving way to what could only be described as a brawl. If this battle had been in anyway orderly and organised before, it was abandoning those aspects in favour of total chaos and anarchy.

Across the decimated line of houses, manufacturies and shops lay the silent, unmoving corpses of the dead. All of those who had ceased to fight were in a mix of uniforms as all sides took evermore extreme casualties from the generals throwing more and more men into the madness. Those who were not dead mostly felt envious at those who had passed, many men seen on the streets were now devoid of limbs or coated head to toe in burns and the evergrowing scars of battle.

The smell of blood, fire and black powder lingered in the air as clouds of smoke shrouded the streets and houses in darkness that rivalled night itself, in some sectors the only sources of light were the jets of flame and flashes of artillery that flew across the unending, brutal conflict.

"Tom watch out!" A cry came out from inside a small steelworks, the cry was followed by a mighty explosion that rocked the steelworks to it's core, the building shaking as if it would collapse any minute from the strain this fight was placing on it.

Tom lowered the shield he'd cast and turned to Tamia, the girl launching a jet of flame up to the catwalks of the factory which melted the platforms into liquid steel and collapsing them immediately. "Thanks for that" he yelled over the sounds of battle to the girl who only gave a sly smile in response before both noticed more Helios forces flooding into the far end of the building.

The Helios troops advanced in a semi-organised formation with shields up front and men launching jets of flame past them. The line advanced in slow time, pushing back all attacks that attempted to break it, as it advanced more and more of the previously scattered Helios forces rallied behind it serving only to increase the firepower and effectiveness of this room-clearing tactic.

Tom and Tamia rallied their knights to their position and summoned a high wall of flames to hold back the advancing forces while their knights organised themselves into a more stable defensive position. The knights formed a shield wall of their own and the fight within the building now resembled the fighting on the trenchlines. Both sides dealing damage to the other, but no real decisive blow could be struck.

As Tom watched, the Helios forces began to pull back in an organised retreat from the building. Seeing an opportunity Tom turned to his knights "Their lines are breaking!" He yelled out before sending a wave of blasts at the retreating forces "Charge!".

At this order the knight's broke their shield wall and surged forward as a single-minded force, every knight yelling with the fury and madness that only the rush of battle can bring. As they surged, the Helios forces retreat became more rushed as they left the steelworks entirely without a fight, at first this move greatly puzzled the Mewnian knights, until they heard a thunderous crash as 3 Helios war rigs crashed through the weakened walls of the building.

The War rigs immediately open fire with jets of flame that scorched the first line of advancing knights, Tom and Tamia managing to escape the attack just barely in time as they threw up their shields of flames to counter the blasts. Those knights at the front were not so lucky however as their armour fused to their skin with the heat as many burned within their tombs of steel and chainmail.

The screams of those unlucky enough to be exposed echoed in the halls of the steelworks, an eerie tone that superseded the noise of warfare. Tamia attempted to put the screams out of her mind as she focused on the lead rig which she had spotted through a gap in the flames. Her eyes glowed as she fired a thin beam from her index finger straight at the rig's commander, exposed as he was by the rig's open hatch.

The shot was true as the rig's commander was killed outright, leaving only his driver alone in the rig to fend for himself. The driver rapidly abandoned the vehicle and retreated behind the other two rigs that were still in action. Tamia redirected her aim to the next rig but this commander had already figured out her intentions and closed the hatch. Tamia fired anyway but the shot was only enough to dent the rig, it's thick armour surviving the force of the shot with relative ease.

"Dammit" She cursed under her breath as she began launching a barrage of blasts against both of the rigs, her blasts resembling small suns, slamming into the rigs, the surrounding troops and the building itself, bringing more and more of the building down and weakening it further with each shot.

The Helios soldiers retreated from the steelworks for real this time in a disorganised manner which made it clear that they had all realised the same thing when they took a look at the crumbling walls around them. Tamia hadn't realised yet, and her barrage was unceasing even as the knights around her also began to flee from the building.

"Tamia!" Tom cried out to the girl over the pounding noises of explosions and crumbling brickwork and steel. But the cry was in vain as the girl's attack continued against the retreating forces. Thinking fast, Tom launched a jet of flames from the soles of his feet, launching himself like a rocket towards Tamia. As he came closer, he wrapped his arms around her waist and both teens were sent flying out of the building into the battle torn streets outside.

The two landed with a harsh thud on the broken and cracked streets of the industrial sector. The landing site not too far from where the knights had retreated to. Tamia was first to open her eyes in a daze as her mind attempted in vain to process what had just happened. Her first realization was that Tom had saved her from the collapse of the steelworks, which she realized soon afterwards was her fault for getting so caught up in her attack on the Helios forces. The rage and red mist of war clouding her judgement as she fought with vigour against a retreating enemy.

Tamia hears a voice from beneath her all of a sudden. "Are you alright?" the voice came as Tamia looked down to see that she had landed on top of Tom, although it was quite clear he wasn't aware of that fact just yet. The girl immediately blushed and answered with a slight nervousness in her voice. "errm..yeah, thanks for saving me and...I'm..sorry I got a little carried away".

Tom chuckled to himself and gave the girl a confident little smile "It's cool, to be honest that's probably helpful in a fight like this, but do me a favour?" he asked while placing a gentle hand to the girl's cheek, bringing yet a deeper blush to her face. "Errm..sure..what is it?" she asked timidly.

"Try not to collapse anymore buildings" he said before attempting to get up only to find he was blocked by Tamia who was still sitting on top of him. The King blushed as he realised just how the two had landed "And errm...much as I enjoy it...could you get off me?" he asked with a deep blush. The girl giggled nervously and nodded before getting to her feet and helping Tom up.

"Right, Now..I'd say it's about time you introduce me to your dad wouldn't you say?" Tom said with a confident grin as he clenched his fists, more than ready for his rematch with Helvete. Tamia smiled back "Yeah, I'd say it's definitely time for a little family reunion" she says with confidence as both turn towards the Helios troops in the distance. Tom looks at Tamia with a smile "You with me?" he asks confidently. Tamia smiles slyly and says with a giggle "Till the end" before both charge at the enemy lines.

 **3rd Defensive line (Centre)-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni (Formally)**

Eclipsa and Globgor had been pushing forward with unprecedented speed, the monster armies an unstoppable tide against the Helios forces, many of whom had lost the will to fight and were now reduced to cowering in their trenches praying silently to whatever god would listen for this madness to end.

The more veteran and fanatical of the Helios forces fought with a crazed resolve, in their minds death or glory were the only options and many were sickened by the sight of men in Helios uniforms huddled in fright before an enemy. It was through this fanatical devotion to their emperor and commitment to continue the fight in desperation that they'd managed to somewhat stem the tide of the advancing monster armies at their third line of defences. Just one more line and the Mewnian forces would be converging on the city itself, it was clear to all those still willing to fight that the monster armies must be stopped here.

Unfortunately for the Helios forces, Globgor and Eclipsa had realised the same fact and were pressing their attacks hard against this new line. Globgor opened his mouth took a deep breath in, drawing in as much air as possible. Seeing this Eclipsa smiled slyly, knowing exactly what was coming "Give them hell honey" she whispered into Globgor's ear before standing on the far side of his broad shoulders to put some distance between herself and Globgor's attack.

As Globgor finished inhaling he lunged forwards and blew outwards. His breath was a huge torrent of flames which cascaded across the fields and slammed into the Helios trenchlines. Those soldiers who had been above the trenchlines were killed immediately as the wave of flame crashed into them, for many their still burning legs were all that fell back into the trench, much to the horror of their comrades.

The men under the trenchline ducked down in fright, many of them began shaking as the flames licked the trenches and engulfed the bunkers, turning their stone bright red with it's heat. Through all of it the flames couldn't be heard over the colossal, ear shattering roar that came with them, the roar of Globgor so intense that it felt like the mere pressure of it would crush the men who had avoided his fire.

Standing on Globgor's shoulder, Eclipsa readied her staff directing it at the trenchlines and an expression of anger drawing across her face. "Let's see how you handle this.." she said darkly as the spades on her cheeks glowed with a deep purple light. The jewel at the end of her staff flashed green and a beam of green energy shot towards the trenches. The men who had peeked out after the flames had died down now only saw the green light hurtling towards them and panicked as they realised this next attack might be it.

Many began running and scrambling back from the trenchline in a desperate and disorganised retreat, those too stubborn to pull back took cover or threw up shields to try to defend themselves. But just as it looked like the beam was about to strike the trenchline, a huge figure appeared in front of them, silhouetted by the green light.

The figure held up one had and caught the beam in it's palm, the energy splitting around them as the attack was deflected by this fighter. The figure didn't seem remotely phased by the attack's power however Eclipsa was shocked that the attack was being blocked by someone. She halted her attack and stared down at the figure, the battle seeming to pause as the two made eye contact.

"Just who might you be?" Eclipsa asked the figure who was now standing clearly before her and Globgor, a stern look of anger and determination on her face. The girl was certainly not pretty or even girly in any real sense as she was now. Eclipsa would be hard pressed to guess she was a girl if it hadn't been for the fact her hair was in two long ponytails at each side and she was wearing a light blue torn dress that was clearly several sizes too small for her as she was now.

The girl didn't speak, instead she looked up towards Eclipsa with anger and hatred in her eyes before holding up her hand and firing a blast up towards her. Eclipsa blocked the shot with ease "Well, I guess we're not doing introductions then" she said sarcastically before directing her staff towards the girl and firing a barrage of green energy blasts towards her. The girl expertly deflected and dodged each and every one before launching herself up towards Globgor's shoulder in an attempt to punch Eclipsa from her position.

As she flew through the air, Globgor's giant hand slapped her down to the ground in a manner much like swatting a fly. Mina landed with a crash into the war torn fields, the Helios troops who weren't involved as much in the fighting looking on in between their own fights with the monster horde who were still pushing hard against the now weakened lines.

"You no harm Eclipsa!" Globgor yelled down at Mina who was getting up with only minor scratches despite the harsh impact from Globgor's attack. Mina turned her head to the side and spat a tooth into the ground beside her before pointing her palm up towards Globgor. Her palm surrounded in a deep blue energy that glowed and crackled from the power she was putting into it. "Don't lecture me you monster scum" she said calmly as she began to fire blast after blast at Globgor.

The blasts found their mark multiple times, each impact hitting a different spot on Globgor's body but they did little more than annoy the great monster. Globgor took a short intake of breath and quickly fired a small but powerful blast of flame out of his mouth, completely engulfing Mina's form and sending a shockwave across the lines with the force of the blow.

As the dust cleared, Eclipsa and Globgor were both shocked to see not only that Mina was unharmed by the blast, but she hadn't even put up a shield of any kind to defend herself. It was as if the attack was nothing to her. "Is that it?" Mina asked with an annoyed tone to her voice, as if she were disappointed with the lack of challenge. "The stories always make you sound much stronger than that" as Mina lunged forward and struck Globgor in the gut, winding the monster and sending him backwards.

Eclipsa jumped from Globgor's shoulder, landing on her feet and launching multiple blasts towards Mina but the girl deflected every one of them before firing an arc of lighting towards Eclipsa who summoned a shield absorbing the attack. However Mina closed the distance rapidly and began an assault on Eclipsa's shield using her bare hands. As her fists slammed into the shield with evermore force and anger behind them Mina began to yell at Eclipsa, who was struggling to maintain the defence.

"Fleeing your kingdom and duty to elope with a monster!? How do you even live with yourself traitor!" she yelled as the shield broke, forcing Eclipsa back as she attempted to defend herself from the blows that Mina was now inflicting upon her. The last blow sent Eclipsa to the floor, Mina continued advancing towards her, a blue energy surrounding her left fist. "At any rate it doesn't matter, you and your monster won't live long enough to contemplate your mistakes" Mina threatened.

Eclipsa blasted Mina point blank with all the power she could summon, the shockwave ripping through the ground around them and sending many of the fighting troops for some distance sprawling to the ground. The smoke from the blast shrouded Mina's old position but as Eclipsa looked on, for a moment thinking she'd killed her, a hand came out of the dust and gripped Eclipsa by the neck.

"Good try ex-queenie, but you're no match for the greatest warrior in Mewni!" Mina yelled as she threw Eclipsa into a nearby destroyed war rig, the torn and twisted metal slicing Eclipsa's skin as she crashed against the abandoned machine. Eclipsa winced at the pain but determined to defeat this insane woman she struggled back to her feet, using her staff to prop herself up as she did.

"Greatest warrior of Mewni? and you've got the nerve to call me a traitor?" Eclipsa yelled as she struggled back to her feet. "I'm fighting to free Mewni, you're fighting for it's enslavement!" she continued to yell. Mina had no argument to this, instead she began to charge a final blast to be rid of this sickening monster lover. "Shut up and die already!" She yelled as she prepared to deal the final blow.

"I said you no harm her!" came a deafening shout as Mina turned to see Globgor's fist coming straight for her. Reacting quickly Mina met the punch with her own, a shockwave erupting from the two attacks meeting. Mina won out however and began an assault on Globgor, her fists like lightning and her blows getting stronger with each impact as Globgor struggled to defend himself from her attacks.

Globgor was sent down to his knees with Mina standing before him, he was still much larger than she was but his strength wasn't enough to overcome this incredibly experienced and fiercely strong warrior. Mina looked at the creature with pure hatred in her blank eyes, she charged a blast and began to aim for his head. "I guess you'll be first scum" she said darkly as the energy in her palm began to intensify as she prepared the decisive blow.

Eclipsa struggled to her feet and directed her staff towards Mina, a look of anger and pain on her faze as she attempted to focus through her blurred vision. The smoke of the battle around them made things even harder to see, but she was determined not to lose her husband again.

Eclipsa's cheeks began to glow a deep purple and a black haze of energy surrounded her form as she began to speak, drawing Mina's attention away from her killing blow to stare down this defiant woman in her last stand. "I call the darkness unto me, from deepest depths of earth and sea" she began as the veins in her arms blackened with corruption as the spell began to further corrupt her already blackened and damaged hands.

"From ancient evils unawoken, break the one who can't be broken" Mina's eyes went wide as she realised what spell Eclipsa was attempting to cast and she began to fire blast after blast at the woman in an attempt to stop this attack, but Eclipsa took each attack without fault, her wish to save Globgor far stronger than the pain she felt at Mina's blasts. Struggling through the pain she continued her dark ritual. "From blackest night I pledge my soul, I crush my heat to burning coal, to summon forth a deadly power".

"Stop! I command you to stop!" Mina began yelling as her blasts intensified "Dammit why won't you die!" she continued to scream frantically as she brought her hands in to summon a small ball of deep blue energy. The ball sparked and flashed with lightning arcs as it's power grew and grew with all the power Mina put into it.

Once she was sure that this attack would finish Eclipsa, Mina faced both her palms forward and yelled "All those who will not destroy the monster scum will die! Turn to ashes Eclipsa!" as she fired a colossal beam of blue energy towards Eclipsa, the blast threatening to finish her off as it approached her form. "To see my hated foe devoured" Eclipsa finished with a dark and deceptively calm tone as a deep black beam shot out from her staff and straight towards Mina. As it impacted Mina's own attack Eclipsa's won out, dispersing and nullifying Mina's attack as it passed through in a beeline towards the warrior's heart.

"No..no no no no!" Mina began yelling before the blast smashed clean through her heart, disintegrating it in an instant and leaving a hole clean through Mina's chest. Mina stood for a moment in shock as she looked down at where her heart had once been. Her muscular form dropped as she fell to her knees, once more in her normal, almost childlike form. She looked forward at Eclipsa, who was now breathing heavily from the strain of her darkest spell, Mina was shaking and her breathing became laboured as her blood ran cold. "C...Curse you Eclipsa..." she spluttered, blood shooting from her mouth as she spoke before her will to survive finally gave out and she collapsed face first into the mud. After so many years the greatest warrior of Mewni's history was finally dead.

The Helios forces, shocked at the display of power and darkness they'd seen from Eclipsa immediately panicked and began a disorganised retreat from the trenchlines, finally allowing the monster armies to break through and begin their assault on the final line of defence. The monster army surged forward and cut down as many retreating Helios troops as they could catch. Desperate attempts from the war rigs tried to stem the tide but the monsters used their razor sharp claws and raw strength to tear the rigs apart with relative ease.

Globgor managed to stand tall once again, albeit winded and slightly worse for wear from the beating that the crazed warrior had given him. Globgor walked over to his wife, who was still breathing heavily and nursing her woulds, and gently picked her up cradling her in his massive arms. She smiled up at the creature, who was looking down at her injuries with a sad look in his eyes. "Hey hey, don't give me that look" Eclipsa said with a gentle tone and gentle grin, surprising Globgor slightly. "I'm fine, besides.." she said confidently as she climbed up onto the monster's shoulder, giving him a small kiss on the cheek after she made it up, ..We've got a war to win". This confidence made Globgor grin and nod before continuing his march forward amongst the monster armies, pressing ever further into the crumbling defences of their enemy.

 **3rd Defensive line (Left)-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)-Mewni (Formally)**

The Airship 'Revenge' steamed through the skies above the lines of battle. Below it, Star and Marco were leading the charge for their armies as they surged through the defences that crumbled under the constant bombardment and assault of the Mewnian forces, their defenders simply not accustomed to fighting a protracted, defensive style war. But the Princess and Knight's advances had been stemmed by the constant harassment by the Helios airships that now plagued the skies.

Higgs stood on the deck of 'Revenge' gazing across the sky at her opponents. "Four of them huh?" she muttered to herself as she watched the four grand Helios airships approach her vessel, the platforms below the great balloons filled with soldiers who stood launching jets of flame down towards the Mewnian armies with limited degrees of success.

Some of those men towards the forward platforms would attempt to launch attacks against the 'Revenge' but she was far out of their range. Unbeknownst to the Helios airmen however, they were within range of the Mewnian guns aboard. Higgs turned to Potemkin, who was at the helm of the airship a look of nervous determination on the young teen's face, she smiled and spoke gently to her squire. "You ready kid? This is it" The boy, on hearing these words simply saluted the knight, shoulders back and chest out in the look of a true soldier as he did so.

Higgs giggled lightly at her squire's display of pride, the kid was determined she'd give him that one. "Okay then" she said softly before turning back to face the enemy and plastering a look of unbroken focus and concentration across her features. "Turn to port, bearing 280 degrees!" she began, suddenly feeling the airship steer beneath her feet as Potemkin frantically turned the Helm to fix the ship on the knight's desired bearing. "Turning to port, bearing 280 captain!" he confirmed the order as the ship continued to turn, exposing the starboard side to the oncoming Helios forces.

"All hands to action stations!, Load starboard guns with HE shells!, Ready to fire on the forward airship!" came the flurry of orders from Higgs as she directed her troops to their stations for the oncoming fight between air forces. She would have no backup in this fight from 'Hood' or 'Ajax', they were required too much at the other sections of the front and so she would be alone for this fight.

Taking a glance at the lines below her, her mind couldn't help but think of Star and Marco fighting below. Marco had secured her position despite how badly she'd treated him when they first met as squires, he'd pulled strings to secure her as both a tower guard and then her new position as an airship captain. Higgs owed everything to the knight and she wouldn't be where she is now without his help and she'd soon be calling him her king.

She couldn't help but smirk at this thought, "Dammit, guess I shouldn'tve been so hard on you back then" she then chuckled as she watched the enemy airships come into her gun's firing arcs and the men below her ready to fire at her command. "Well, I won't be letting you down now Marco, wouldn't wanna give you the satisfaction" she smirked once again before turning to her men. "Fire at will!"

As the command was called the men on the guns pulled the triggers on the great artillery. Jets of flame shot from the barrels as the shells flew at high speed towards their target. The airship shifted in the air as the force of the firing guns caused her to jerk leftwards, the gunners simply adjusted their rangefinders and readied their next barrage as Higgs stood above it all watching the shells fly towards the Helios airships.

The shots were well placed and slammed into the lead airship's bow, ripping through the balloon and one smashing into the forward platforms, detonating on impact sending a dozen or so Helios airmen flying down to the land below along with the shattered metal of the platforms they had once stood on. Smoke billowed from the lead airship as it's ability to stay airborne was weakened, it resisted crashing however, it's pilot struggling to keep her from crashing into the lines below.

Another series of blasts fired out from the 'Revenge' towards the now smoking and struggling Helios airship. Men leaping from the platforms, abandoning the airship they could now see was doomed many without a parachute. The shells closed the distance quickly and on impact the gasses that kept the airship afloat ignited, turning the vessel into a grand fireball that lit up the sky like a second sun as it fell towards the ground.

After a few moments a mighty crash was heard as the airship impacted the ground with a thunderous explosion that rocked Mewni to it's core. The airship had crashed into the Helios lines, crushing the soldiers below and the grand fireball burning so hot that the neaby ammunition stores for the artillery detonated, the explosion ripping through the earth tearing a colossal hole in the lines that the Mewnian forces quickly began to exploit as they charged forwards in an attempt to envelop and destroy the Helios 3rd line.

Higgs couldn't help but smile as she watched the surge of Mewni's forces, a feeling in her gut telling her that this war was soon to be over after so much suffering and death. She looked towards the three remaining airships who were continuing to bear down on her lone vessel. "These guys obviously can't take a hint" she joked before looking down towards her gunners. "Redirect to the 2nd airship, fire when ready" she relays to the enthusiastic and confident gunners who immediately carried out the orders and fired the first barrage towards their new target with yet another great explosion of the guns.

The shells flew once more across the sky towards their new target, mighty shockwaves propagated across the sky as they found their mark with deadly accuracy. One shell had smashed clean through the Helios ship control centre, destroying their control mechanisms and killing most of the officers inside. The ship began a banking turn to it's starboard side as it's destroyed turning gears caused it to be at the mercy of the winds.

Higgs watched as the ship banked hard, exposing it's port side to her gunners who readied their next salvo. Higgs then held up a hand and called out to the eager gunners as they took aim "Cease fire!" the order came to the perplexed looking gunners who glanced upwards, curious at their captain's sudden change in heart. "Ma'am, what's wrong?" Came the question from one of the men below. Higgs didn't respond instead she looked off towards the still turning Helios craft as it drifted, devoid of control, through the sky.

The airship continued to veer to it's starboard in a undisciplined and turbulent movement until eventually it crossed over the flight path of the 3rd Helios airship. The 3rd ship had no time to steer out of the collision course that had been set by it's ally and the two collided in a terrible crash as the bow of the 3rd airship collided into amidships of the 2nd. The canvas of the balloons tore to shreds as the two conjoined into a single mass of twisted steel and cloth which began rapidly falling back to the ground below.

Men once again leapt in desperation from the platforms in a uncoordinated and undisciplined attempt to abandon their vessels in fear of deaths approach. Higgs smiled and turned back down towards her gunners, many of whom were watching in awe as the two airships came crashing to the ground in unison, their gasses finally igniting in a grand unstoppable fireball which shot hundreds of feet into the air, illuminating the battlefield like a roman candle.

"Redirect fire towards the final airship! Load HE shells and await order!" she yelled down towards the gunners, her words knocking them out of their stunned silence as they began to load and re-direct the guns. Higgs looked towards the final airship and chuckled at the sight "apparently they do learn" she sarcastically remarked as she watched the final airship turn about in an attempt to flee her gun's range.

"Too little too late I'd say" she muttered as she looked back at Potemkin who was still stood at the helm, a determined look on the young squire's face. "What do ya say kid? Reckon we should let them go?" she asked in a half joking tone, already knowing what answer her squire would give. As predicted the boy shook his head, a look of determination and anger on his face. "They didn't show any mercy to Sir Joffery, why should they receive any in return" the boy said darkly. Higgs nodded at this "Well said" she replied as she turned back to the gunners and delivered the command. "Fire".

 **Central Command-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)**

A commander rushed into the emperor's command centre, the officer's face streaked with blood and dirt as he carried a bloody report in his left hand. He barged past lower level officers and aids who carried reports and charts between the chaotic offices as they struggled to maintain a defence against the Mewnian forces.

The commander burst through the doors into the emperor's personal observation platform, from here Helvete stood, simply observing the carnage below as the Mewnian forces drew ever closer to his position. The commander who had burst in suddenly stopped in his tracks as the intense wall of energy in the room hit him, the commander couldn't bring himself to move against the intense pressure and weight of the power that radiated out from where the emperor stood.

Looking in fear towards the emperor, he saw that Helvete's back was turned away from the soldier, still observing the carnage below. A deep red aura glowed angrily around him, arcs of crimson lightning crackling and snapping around him, his fists clenched tightly in anger as he continued to watch. The commander gulped at the sight before managing to summon the courage to speak.

"Your Imperial Majesty I have an urgent report for you!" The emperor turned towards the commander, revealing the anger in the emperor's face, his eyes glowing a deep red with violence and rage barely hidden behind them. "This had better be good commander" Helvete spoke in a dark and sinister tone that turned the officer's blood to ice as the emperor's eyes seemed to strip the officer of his very soul.

The officer once again gulped and shakily lifted the bloodied and torn report so he could better read it. "Well Your Imperial Majesty I regret to inform you that our forces are being pushed back on all fronts, many commanders are reporting casualties approaching 60% and rising rapidly, of our initial 15 Brigades; 4 are combat ready, 6 are reduced to Regiment size, 2 are reduced to Battalion size, 2 are unfit for combat operations and 1 has surrendered after taking 97% casualties, I have been sent to recommend a full retreat..."

The commanders words were cut short as one of the red lightning arcs that had been darting around Helvete's fierce and enraged aura suddenly shot out and struck the man in the chest, immediately killing him. As the man dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap, the officers behind him looked in fear on the face of their emperor. His eyes glowed a deep crimson as the anger on that report made itself known. Helvete breathed deeply before speaking in a deceptively calm and unnerving tone "So gentlemen, what you mean to tell me is that, despite having the most technologically advanced, the most well trained and the largest force that Mewni has ever seen in all it's centuries" Helvete paused and looked directly at his commanders, venom and murderous intent unhidden in his gaze "That we are losing this battle?"

Not a man in the room wanted to be the one to say it, the emperor was correct on all fronts, however for once nobody wanted to tell him such. Helvete broke the quiet by asking yet another question to his officers "So gentlemen, what is the state of my front lines?" his tone still cold and sinister, as if daring one of the men to say the wrong word to him.

A young officer was shoved forward by his seniors, his face full of fear, but he knew that there would be no getting out of this duty as another senior officer shoved the relevant report into the his shaking hands. The officer began to read nervously, as a nervous child would perform a school play "Some sectors are managing to hold onto the 3rd defensive lines but are now at high risk of encirclement, in most sectors however the men are having to abandon most of their heavy weapons and retreat to the city walls themselves Your Imperial Majesty".

After finishing the report the officer saluted quickly, silently praying that he would be spared the same fate as his comrade as he gazed into his emperor's heartless and merciless gaze. Instead of responding with hostility however, Helvete curiously lowered his aura. His eyes lost their glow and he once more returned to his normal form as he gazed out of his observation room at the chaotic hellscape that surrounded his command for miles. "Thank you lieutenant, if that is indeed the case then this command centre will soon be overrun, therefore we shall relocate to the secondary command effective immediately".

The officers breathed a silent sigh of relief as they saluted, a unanimous "Yes your Imperial Majesty" echoing across the command centre as men frantically began to gather essential papers and files, burning all they didn't take with them. Helvete himself walked out of the command centre along with his officers, ensuring he was last to leave, he began launching a massive series of blasts into the air as he walked. Thousands of orbs of deep crimson energy lit up the sky briefly before crashing downwards into the command centre. The bunker was annihilated along with much of the land around it, any evidence of the documents and secrets contained within now decimated by the emperor's power.

Noting the destruction of the bunker, Helvete and his officers made their way to Butterfly castle, Helvete all the while muttering to himself. "Come and get me Butterflys, I'll be waiting in my throneroom".

 **City walls-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)**

The Mewnian armies converged into one as their final assault on the city itself was being prepared, the armies halted just 400 meters outside of the city walls on all sides, effectively surrounding the city which ensured that there was no escape for the Helios troops within. Captured Helios heavy guns, abandoned by their crews in a panicked retreat, had been brought up to supplement the Mewnian artillery, bringing their numbers up to 123 pieces which now pounded the reinforced walls with a furious intensity.

Inside the city Helios troops that weren't fighting kicked down doors and dragged every citizen that could walk from their homes and sent them towards the front in a desperate attempt to increase their manpower for the rapidly failing defence. Those too old to fight or who resisted the orders to the front were executed on the spot by the troops. The streets were a picture of pure chaos as this happened, screaming women and children, cursing men many of whom attempted to fight back against the Helios soldiers and all throughout the streets lay bodies and blood that soaked into the ground, turning the once beautiful and glistening streets of the Butterfly Kingdom into a crimson city of nightmares.

Forcibly conscripted citizens began to fight back as they heard the pounding of the guns against their city's walls. They knew now that it was only a matter of time before their freedom would be won by their true monarch. A rallying cry shot through the crowd, verberating outwards towards the battlefield even over the sound of the guns themselves "Glory to Mewni! Fight for Queen Butterfly! Fight for Freedom!". Desperate fighting in the streets began as the Helios soldiers, now worn and deflated from the day's battle, struggled in this war on two fronts as they held off the Mewnian armies while attempting to deal with this widespread peasant rebellion.

Outside the walls, the leaders of the 3 separate attacks met once more. Marco and Star meeting Tom and Tamia just behind the front lines as the battle continued to rage. Eclipsa and Globgor had chosen to stay at the front, deciding that breaking through the walls was more important for them.

"Good to see you made it through" Tom chuckled as the two couples met once more. Marco laughed at the comment and joked back with a confident "Yeah, we could do this all day, takes more than these guys to threaten us" the knight said with a laugh. The group shared in laughter before they began to discuss their next move, Tom pulling a map and all four of them gathering around it.

The map displayed the city before them at street level, various markings and symbols had been made on it by a series of officers as more and more reports came to them turning the map into a mess of drawings and changing lines. Fortunately the bold strokes of the situation behind the walls was obvious at a glance and the four teens decided it would be easier to focus on those aspects rather than worry about the minor changes that happened every second.

Marco pointed to the central point on the map, Butterfly castle itself which had been boldly outlined in red. "Helvete is almost certainly inside the castle, lets not make any presumptions about that, it seems the city around him is divided in it's loyalty and this is his last stronghold, if he's not there then he's not in the city" The knight made clear as he studied the series of lines in the city which showed the internal battlelines of the city as Helios troops and Mewnian citizens fought for control of the streets.

The group nodded, "So what's the plan for taking the castle then? He's bound to have most of his army guarding it, it'll be a tough one to crack" Tom said as they pondered their options. "Through the front door isn't an option, it'd be risky at best and suicide at worst, even when we were in control the entrance to Butterfly castle is one of the strongest defensive points in all of Mewni, it was built to survive attacks from armies of monsters" Star pointed out.

"What about the airships?" suggested Tamia "We could drop in from above and work our way downwards, I doubt he's put much thought into defending the towers?" she said as she observed the airships approaching the city in the distance, closing the distance so as to provide air support to the assaulting troops.

"Unfortunately that's not possible, reports seem to be that Helvete has placed what remaining artillery he has on the city's high points, including the towers of the castle" Marco responded pointing towards the symbols on the map at the various towers and small hills within the city. A small rectangle with a circle inside of it, the symbol for artillery positions. "Our airships would be easy targets as we approached" he said solemnly.

Star suddenly got an idea and pointed to a small spot on the map, outside of the walls was a small hill that hadn't been marked with anything beyond the fact that it existed. The puzzled faces of her friends looked over to her, wondering where the princess was going with this. "I think I know another way, there's a hidden entrance to the lower tunnels down here, I found it while following one of the servants as a kid" she said with a smile.

"Errm, why were you following a servant?" asked Marco curiously, Star simply shrugged and smiled "I was a kid and wanted to know where the food came in" she answered in a rather matter of fact way that only Star could get away with. "Anyway that's not the point, its not marked on the map so Helvete probably doesn't know about it yet, the tunnel goes straight to the castle itself and we could easily sneak in unnoticed" she said with enthusiasm in her voice.

The group smiled confidently "Okay, we have our entrance point, once we're inside we need to find Helvete, so where do we check?" Tom asked. Tamia answered this one "If I know my dad, he'll be expecting a fight, his style suits an open space so it's likely he'd be in the largest room he can find" she said as she looked at the map. "Unfortunately I don't know what the inside of Butterfly castle looks like so that's the best I can do" she said with a slight despondance at not being able to help more.

"Well, that makes things simple, unlike the Lucitor citadel there's only about 3 large rooms in Butterfly castle" Tom responded with a grin "The Ballroom, the dining hall and the throne room, once inside we check all three until we find him, then we bring him down once and for all" The king finished, the group nodding in acceptance of this plan. "Okay then, that's settled, lets end this" Marco said as the group headed out towards the tunnel entrance, the battle for the walls still raging behind them as the final assault rocked the city.

 **Butterfly Castle (Formally)-Butterfly Kingdom (Formally)**

The group moved silently through the dimly lit, abandoned tunnels of the castle. These tunnels were in a much better condition than those of the dungeons, as they played host to the servants and chefs of the Butterfly family in the days before the war, but the total abandonment of them was eerie to say the least. The place would've been quiet if it weren't for the shockwaves of the exploding shells rocking the ground with each impact.

The silence was broken by Marco's voice, "Star, do you think we're near the castle yet?" he asked in a half whisper which echoed down the hallowed corridors. "We've just gone past the main store, so we're nearly under the dining hall, what's the plan? Bust up from below?" Star asked as the group continued to steadily move forward through the empty halls. "Yep, that's pretty much it, nothing like the element of surprise" Tom grins as the group comes to a stop.

"This it?" Asks Tom, drawing a nod from Star. Tom prepares a small flame in the palm of his hand and looks towards the rest of the group. "Might wanna stand back a tad and shield your eyes" he suggests. The group of teens obey and shield their eyes from the flame Tom held. The flame intensified, not growing in size but still grew brighter and brighter, it's heat rising to unprecedented levels as the glow of the flames intensified to a bright white light. The super concentrated flame suddenly shot upwards in a thin beam of indescribable heat and precision which cut through the marble ceiling above as though it were paper.

After a few seconds the flame rescinded, revealing hole in the ceiling just wide enough for a adult to fit through. "Go! Go! Go!" ordered Tom before he shot upwards through the whole and into the dining hall above, surprising the soldiers who were unfortunate enough to be in the room above. The rest of the group followed and a battle immediately began between the four and the lone force of 30 guards.

Marco, using his index fingers, began firing a series of thin red blasts throughout the room, accurately sharpshooting through the bodies of the guards that surrounded his position as Star fired multiple blasts from her wand as her and Marco fought back to back against their attackers. Across the room Tom and Tamia surrounded their own position in a circle of flames, each controlling whisps of the circle like tendrils as they grabbed guards with the flames and threw them across the room with minimal effort, both working from the same flame in co-oridnated movements to attack and defend with a perfect flow, which could be mistaken for a dance if it wasn't for the battle around them.

After a short while the guards had been dealt with but Helvete was nowhere to be found. Looking around Tom yelled out "Okay, well that's one room down, let's check the..." His words were cut off as the large wall on the far side of the room suddenly shone brightly with a crimson light before an explosion ripped the structure apart, sending a shower of burning debris across the room over the teenagers. The four threw up shields rapidly to block the rubble that shot towards them as well as the great shockwave and gust of air that fired over the room as the wall gave way.

When the gust had passed and the dust from the decimated wall began to settle, the teens looked towards where the wall had been, the silhouette of a man present through the dust and smoke. "Well, I did want to save the remodelling until after this whole business was over, but then again there's really no time like the present is there?" came a familiar and sinister voice through the cloud.

Marco recognised the voice immediately and fired a series of blasts into the still dissipating cloud. The silhouette figure moved quickly, blocking each beam with expert precision before returning to his previous stance. "Okay, I can't see any better than you can, but I'm just going to assume that was Marco" came the voice once more "Actually yknow what, let's just make this easier" he spoke once more as the figure raised it's hand.

A large blast of hot air shot through the hall, blasting the cloud of dust and smoke away in a single stroke revealing the entire space to all five in the room. The wall had been blown clean through, essentially merging the throneroom with the dining hall to create a grand open space. Standing at the edge of the throneroom was Helvete, stood in his normal form, deceptively calm considering everything that had happened up until now.

Helvete smiled slyly as he laid eyes on the group before him, a glint of evil intent in his eye as he began to speak once more. "Ah might I be the first to formally welcome you, King Thomas Lucitor the first, to the newly liberated territory of my empire, I haven't quite decided on a name but I was thinking of something like 'Luminos' what do you think?" he asked with a cocky and sarcastic tone.

Tom was having none of it, summoning a flame to his palm and speaking angrily across to Helvete "Shut it Helvete! Your armies are beaten and the city is surrounded, surrender now and you just might save your own life!" came the threat from the King as the group readied themselves for the coming fight.

Helvete began to chuckle, at first to himself but this soon escalated to a full laugh as the emperor cackled loudly at Tom's threats, after a few moments he recovered himself enough to properly respond. "Oh my my, you seriously think you've won don't you my dear king?" the sinister voice of the emperor came "well, allow me to give you a quick lecture, monarch to monarch" The emperor began as his eyes began to glow their signature crimson red in preparation for battle.

"My armies defending here may be gone but I have hundreds of thousands more who will gladly serve in my forces, as for yours and the 'recapture' of this city, well there won't be one" he said bluntly, a glowing red aura beginning to flow around Helvete's form as the air around him grew heavy and warm from the power he radiated outwards "Because once I'm done slaughtering you all, I'm going to wipe this miserable kingdom from the map" Came the last of the emperor's speech in a dark, merciless tone before he fired a jet of flame towards the group.

Tom extended his hand out and blocked the flame, it's tendrils wrapping around his position as he split the beam before he fired back with his own beam of intense flames. Helvete however expertly redirected Tom's beam into a spiral which surrounded the Emperor's position. As the spiral of flames connected to itself Helvete extended his hands and faced his palms outwards, instantly the solid beam transformed into a dozen orbs of deep red fire which shot outwards in all directions, causing massive damage to the room wherever they impacted.

Marco launched a series of thin red beams at the incoming orbs of flame. Each orb imploded as the beams collided with them. The attacks cancelling each other out as was Marco's intent. Once the orbs were dealt with, Marco unleashed the same beams against Helvete. The emperor once again dodged and blocked the beams expertly. "Your power is growing Marco, but magic still isn't your forte peasant knight!" the emperor yells as he launches a mass barrage of fireballs towards the knight.

Star immediately gets between Marco and the blasts, using her wand to throw up a shield for herself and Marco. The fireballs smashed into it with incredible force but Star's shield held firm against the onslaught. She smiled at Marco "We're not losing this time" she says as the onslaught smashes into her shield. Marco smiles and speaks with a sly, flirtatious tone "Damn shame we're gonna have to repair the castle before the wedding eh?". The couple smile at each other flirtatiously for a moment before turning to launch a joint barrage against Helvete.

Helvete summoned a shield against the barrage, sending his free hand forward launching 5 separate jets of flame from his shield towards the teens. Tamia stepped forward and took control of the flames, redirecting them into a spiral around her body, the flames speed grew faster and faster until it resembled a tornado of raging flames spinning around Tamia, shielding her from view. Out of nowhere dozens of blasts came shooting out of the burning tornado towards Helvete at breakneck speed.

Helvete's eyes glowed brightly, as they did so the blasts dissipated before they could reach him. The emperor responding by holding out his index finger, an orb of crimson energy appearing at the tip with a faint red circle of energy surrounded that. The orb grew to the size of a baseball before a blast of crimson energy fired out of it towards the tornado of flames Tamia had created.

The blast broke through and Tamia was sent backwards by the impact, she winced in pain but quickly shook it off to fire another barrage at the emperor. Tom followed the barrage, using it to mask his approach towards the emperor's position. Helvete blocked the barrage with relative ease but was unprepared for Tom closing the distance. Tom blasted Helvete at point-blank range sending the emperor flying backwards into the back wall, cracking it with the impact.

The emperor struggled to his feet, a look of anger on his face as he did so. "It's over Helvete, you can't beat all of us!" Tom yelled towards the hate-filled face of the emperor. The emperor's eyes glowed a deep red as his aura glowed around his body, the lightning within it crackling and sparking angrily as he began to unleash his power. The air in the room grew heavy and the pressure felt immense, Tom began to notice that it had become harder and harder to breathe as the pressure increased.

The emperor stood tall, revealing his glowing eyes and the enraged, demonic look on his face. "No Tom, you're quite mistaken, it hasn't even begun yet!" he spoke in a deep, horrifying voice "You might have beaten demons, generals and kings! But now you're going to be humbled before a god!". Star gasped as she realised this was the same power Helvete had used to beat her mother. She reacted immediately, glowing gold as her wings flowed out, taking on her own Butterfly form in preparation for this fight.

Before Tom could react, an arc of lightning shot from Helvete's aura and impacted the young king. Tom's screams of pain filled the hall as his body was shocked with thousands of volts of electricity, paralysing his movements and disabling him of any ability to defend himself. "Tom!" Yelled Tamia as she rushed forward to help the king. The boy fell limply to the floor, his eyes closed as Tamia reached him. Marco and Star started an onslaught on Helvete, seeking revenge for the sneak attack.

Tamia looked over Tom's form, he was barely breathing and completely helpless after the powerful attack. Tamia's tears began to fall on the boys face for a few moments, until anger began to take over. Her pupils glowed red and her hair began to shine with a crimson light as the girl's power flowed through her. The castle shook as Tamia stood, waves of intense pressure radiating outwards from her body as she turned to face Helvete.

Helvete launched Marco across the room with a violent blast of power, sending the knight through the solid oak dining table that still stood at the dining hall's centre. Star retaliated by directing all of her hands outwards, a ball of white energy forming just in front of her. "Thermonuclear Butterfly Blast!" she yelled, sending a huge rainbow coloured wave towards Helvete. The emperor simply caught the blast in his hand however and smiled sadistically as he fired it back towards Star, shooting her into the ceiling with force enough to crack it. Star falling back to the floor with a loud thud.

"I'll never forgive you..." Came the angered, but quiet voice of Tamia. This drew a laugh from Helvete as he looked upon the girl with a confident look in his eye. "So you're the 4th person I've been hearing about, might I know your title before I kill you miss?" the emperor asked with a sinister grin as an arc of lightning sparked and jumped in his hand. Tamia scoffed, anger filling her face as she grew more and more enraged towards Helvete.

"You don't remember do you? Let's see if this reminds you!" She yelled, summoning her full power, her hair and eyes glowing with a burning intensity as shockwaves launched outwards shaking the building and smashing all the windows within it's halls. Helvete was taken aback by this sudden display, especially as he found himself struggling to maintain his solid stance against the waves of energy that pummelled his position. 'I..I'm at full strength how is she managing to shake me?' Helvete thought with a slight measure of fear as he watched the girl with wide eyes.

Two beautiful wings of flame shot out from Tamia's back, displaying a radiance and beauty that was only matched by her sheer power. "Recognise me yet? I've been told I look a lot like my mother.." she said with hatred in her voice. Helvete was nervous at the power this girl displayed, but no...this was nothing, he was the most powerful being in all of Mewni! He could not be beaten by some pissed off adolescent!

"It doesn't matter who you are, you'll die like the rest!" He yelled launching a colossal blast of crimson flames towards the girl. Tamia didn't even flinch, instead simply holding up her hand, palm facing outwards. As the beam hit her palm it split, leaving her position untouched as she walked forward through the raging flames.

Helvete couldn't believe his eyes, that attack was stronger than the ones he'd used to beat Tom, Marco and Star how was she repelling it with so little effort!? He then heard Tamia's voice as she spoke with venom and unforgiving rage in her voice. It wasn't her tone that shook Helvete to his core though, it was the words themselves which shocked the tyrant to his very core. "It's been a long time...father"

Helvete stepped back in shock, unable to process what this powerful and angry teen had just said to him. "T...Tamia!?" he asked in shock, to which Tamia only nodded in response. "But...you're dead! That night...when Eclipsa attacked and..your mother...how!?" The emperor stammered in shock and fear, perhaps for the first time in his life feeling unsure of what to do.

Tamia slowly began walking towards her father's position. "Don't pretend you mourn my mother's death" she threatened as she continued to close the distance "You're a demon who made her so afraid and terrified of you that she punished her own daughter out of fear she'd be like you!". Helvete couldn't argue with this accusation, instead stepping back slightly to keep his distance from Tamia's advance.

"You grew this empire and slaughtered thousands on the false premise that Mewni had wronged you, that you were a despairing king who'd lost his queen and heir!" Tamia continued, coming to a stop. A spiral of thin flames began to flow around her body, meeting at the top and forming a beautiful pattern of flames around her position. "I saw you for the monster you are, and I vowed long ago that I'd be the one to destroy you". Tamia extended her palm slowly, facing it towards Helvete.

Helvete readied himself for battle, regaining some of his composure. "I suppose my daughter really did die all those years ago, all I see before me is a traitor and traitors will only be met with death!" he yelled directing his own palm towards Tamia. "When you see your mother, be sure to tell her how disappointed I am with you!" He yelled as he fired a colossal beam of crimson energy towards Tamia.

Tamia fired back, the two beams smashing into one another, fighting for dominance as the struggle between father and daughter began. The entire castle shook violently as the power of the two blasts rocked Mewni to it's foundations. The struggle only grew as Helvete and Tamia both put everything they had into this attack, both determined to finish off the other and neither was about to back down.

"Seems your mother was wrong!" Helvete shouted over the noise of the crashing beams and crumbling Butterfly castle "You're nothing like me, especially not in power!" With that shout Helvete's attack increased in size and began to overwhelm Tamia's, slowly pushing her attack back as the beam grew closer to her. Tamia struggled to maintain her attack, knowing that if she dropped it here she and all she loved would die.

A huge white beam suddenly came from out of nowhere and joined the struggle on Tamia's side. Tamia glanced back to see Star had successfully gotten to her feet and was now joining in the fight. "Don't look back, not till we win this!" she yelled at Tamia who nodded and refocused on Helvete who was now on the back foot as the two princesses combined power began to overwhelm his own.

"You just don't know when to quit do you!?" Helvete yelled with a venom and rage in his voice as he struggled to throw more power into his attack, at this point the two struggling beams had ripped through the floor of the castle and torn a whole in the roof as they grew larger and larger with every added bit of power that was thrown into them. "Fine! At least I'll get the satisfaction of killing you both with one attack!" the tyrant yelled as he pushed everything he had left into the struggle once more regaining the initiative and forcing Star and Tamia back.

Marco struggled to his feet, seeing the struggle that was taking place and noticing that he was in a perfect position behind Helvete. Marco couldn't get close enough to the emperor to attack with his sword, the shockwaves from his power radiating with far too much strength for Marco to overcome. But he extended out his index finger "Take this you bastard" he said darkly as he unleashed an unending barrage of thin red blasts at Helvete's exposed back.

Each blast hit home and slammed into Helvete with incredible force, weakening his attack as he refocused some of his energy into shielding his back. The two beams were now at a stalemate as neither side could summon enough power to overcome the other, Marco desperately continuing to attack Helvete's back with his own beams which now struck the weak shield of Helvete continuously, some breaking through as the emperor's power began to wain.

Helvete was struggling now, he was already well beyond his limits and could push no further to destroy Tamia and Star, neither could he redirect himself to attack Marco. The emperor was running out of options fast as this battle suddenly became a war of attrition. "No...I won't lose...not to these peasants...not to these miserable Mewnian weaklings!" he yelled through the pain as the strain of the battle began to take hold. Sparks of crimson lightning shooting through his body causing tremendous pain wherever it travelled.

Then Helvete saw it, he saw the final sign that he had truly lost this fight. As he looked to the corner of his eye, he witnessed as Tom was standing, barely able to hold himself up but carrying in his hand a small, intense white flame. Helvete could tell with just a glance that this was a powerful flame that Tom must've been charging for some time. The emperor watched, wide-eyed and defenceless as Tom faced his palm directly at Helvete's exposed side.

"It's over" Tom said as the white flame shot out from his position, engulfing Helvete in it's searing heat and power. The pain caused Helvete to stop his own attack on Star and Tamia whose combined power, now unhaulted by Helvete's counterattack, slammed into his body as well. Helvete's screams of pain and anguish filled the halls of Butterfly castle, so loud that the fighting outside the castle was halted for a moment by their intensity as the combatants watched the blast shoot through the castle into the distant fields and mountains. All that remained was one final cry from the fallen emperor "Curse you Lucitor!" as the emperors body disintegrated in the flames, leaving nothing but ash of the once powerful and feared tyrant.

After the attack had dissipated there was a strange quiet for a few moments across the entire kingdom as everyone attempted to process the events that had just taken place. The silence was broken as the Helios troops began to throw down their weapons, a series of clangs and crashes as swords, shields, spears, halbards and all other manner of war material were thrown down and the men who once carried them lifted their hands in surrender to the Mewnian armies.

Then the cheering began, the citizens of the Butterfly kingdom rushing through the now exposed ruins of the castle to cheer for their saviours. Many running up to loved ones who had fought to be with them in celebration of their freedom. Mewni was filled with so many sounds of celebration and rejoicing. Chants filled the air as the citizens cheered for the army and the royals, thanking them for the efforts made to free them from their tyrant emperor.

Inside the castle ruins, the four teens stood in awe. Breathing heavily from the strain of battle. It was Tamia who broke their own personal silence, rushing over to Tom and immediately tackling him back to the ground in a crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said over and over between kissing the young king repeatedly. Tom's pain from the battle was still fresh, but right now he could happily ignore it as he returned the girl's affection with enthusiasm.

Star and Marco wrapped their arms around one another in a quiet embrace. "It's gonna take a lot of work to fix the place" Marco said with a grin. Star giggled, the noise muffled by Marco's chest as she hugged him close. "Yeah, but we can't get married in a ruin Marco" she joked, looking up at the boys eyes. Marco couldn't help but get lost in Star's boundless azure eyes and lightly cradled her chin in his hand, bringing her face up to his. "Then I suppose we'd best get to work then?" he said sweetly, bringing his princess into a deep kiss.

The road ahead would be long for Mewni, so much had been decimated through the war and the recovery would not come quickly. But out of the fire and toil of war would come the next great age of Mewni. The crucible would produce a stronger and more glorious kingdom than before, as the new generation of monarchs took their rightful place at the helm of leadership. Helios had fallen, and now the days of peace could begin again.

 **A/N: Whew, kept you guys waiting for this one didn't I? The war for Mewni is over, Helvete and his tyranny had fallen to our heroes and now Mewni begins on the path of rebuilding. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I'm not sure what's next but I'll think of something eventually (Might continue that SU story that's been on hold for a while) until next time guys :)**


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